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Commission on Audit (COA) building in Quezon City, Feb. 19, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File



Commission on Audit, Quezon City.  Jonathan  Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Commission on Audit 

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17664642877241766464287223.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Commission on Audit building in Quezon City. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — State auditors flagged the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) over delays in the distribution of emergency shelter aid, revealing that some disaster-affected families had to wait up to six months for relief.</div><p>In its 2024 audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the absence of defined timeframes for processing claims led to prolonged delays in releasing shelter aid under the Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program (IDSAP).</p><p>IDSAP Phase 1 provides P30,000 to households with totally damaged homes and P10,000 to those with partial damage.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/22/coa-flags-political-interference-duplicate-payouts-in-akap-1401">COA flags ‘political interference,’ duplicate payouts in AKAP</a></div><p>In Metro Manila, processing times for financial assistance ranged from 59 to 186 days, even for disasters with similar volumes of beneficiaries.</p><p>Under Section 4.1 of Department Order No. 2024-004, emergency response is intended to begin at the onset of a disaster and span up to three months.</p><p>“These delays defeat the program&#x27;s objective of providing immediate and provisional shelter support to disaster-affected households and impair the Agency&#x27;s ability to respond to emergency needs in a timely manner,” the report read.</p><div> </div><div><strong>LACK OF FIELD VALIDATION</strong></div><div> </div><p>The audit also found that DHSUD relied on master lists and paper documents submitted by local government units instead of conducting field inspections.</p><p>In Metro Manila, validation activities were limited to reviewing eligibility forms that contained &quot;unclear or repetitive photographs&quot; of damaged houses.</p><p>The state auditors said some barangay officials and beneficiary respondents did not recall any house-to-house visits made by DHSUD staff.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/18/coa-flags-p330-5-million-flood-control-projects-in-bulacan-awarded-to-wawao-builders-1107">COA flags P330.5-M flood control projects in Bulacan awarded to Wawao Builders</a></div><p>“This lack of independent validation by DHSUD personnel raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of damage assessments, casting doubt on the propriety of the distribution process,” the audit body said.</p><p>“Furthermore, inconsistent validation activities across different IDSAP implementations create accountability gaps, as validators cannot be held liable for potential failures or misconduct,” it added.</p><p>DHSUD agreed with the audit recommendation to revise IDSAP guidelines for improved validation and disbursement of shelter assistance.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>OTHER LAPSES</strong></div><div> </div><p>Auditors also reported that the lack of safeguards against double payouts allowed a beneficiary in Mimaropa to receive assistance from both IDSAP and the National Housing Authority&#x27;s emergency housing program, in violation of the 2024 circular issued by DHSUD.</p><p>The COA attributed this to the absence of a centralized database and the lack of a mandatory requirement for beneficiaries to provide certifications from other agencies proving they had not yet received similar assistance, which DHSUD agreed to establish.</p><p>“Although the identified case may be isolated, it highlights a systemic weakness in IDSAP&#x27;s controls, increasing the risk of inefficient resource utilization and duplication of government assistance,” the state auditors said.</p><p>Moreover, the report flagged the practice of transferring cash advances to &quot;non-bonded&quot; personnel or employees not authorized to handle large sums of government funds, which it said exposes public resources to risks of loss or misappropriation.</p><p>“We recommended and Management agreed to ensure strict compliance with bonding requirements, allowing only bonded personnel to handle cash advances and prohibit the transfer of cash advances to non-bonded employees,” the report read.</p><div> </div><div><strong>OTHER NEWS: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5evRqjD2v7U?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kurkLKlUMsw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>State auditors flagged the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development over delays in the distribution of emergency shelter aid, revealing that some disaster-affected families had to wait up to 6 months for relief.</p>

State auditors flagged the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development over delays in the distribution of emergency shelter aid, revealing that some disaster-affected families had to wait up to 6 months for relief.

COA flags DHSUD for delays in shelter aid

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COA flags DHSUD for delays in shelter aid

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 23, 2025 01:16 PM PHT

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COA

DHSUD

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Housing

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