MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) threw out a petition filed by former Duterte-era Human Settlements and Urban Development secretary Eduardo del Rosario over the use of public funds intended for Marawi City’s rehabilitation to cover the travel of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Saudi Arabia in 2018.

The COA en banc ruled that Del Rosario, who was then Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and Task Force Bangon Marawi head, was liable for the unauthorized expenditure.

Del Rosario was held liable for the irregular expenses along with then-TF Bangon Marami secretary general Falconi Millar and National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) officer-in-charge Tahir Lidasan Jr..

The commission upheld a notice of disallowance that del Rosario had sought to lift in an 11-page decision made public on Monday, April 13.

The P5-million fund was transferred to the NCMF, and state auditors said it was used to cover the travel expenses of 25 IDPs on a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia from June 15 to 22, 2018.

Del Rosario argued the expenditure was justified by a “peculiar socio-historical and demographic context.”

He said rebuilding efforts after the five-month Marawi siege in 2017 required a “multi-faceted and culturally/faith-sensitive approach.” He also argued that physical recovery and rehabilitation needed a “holistic recovery of the people.”

State auditors, however, rejected del Rosario’s assertions, saying the task force was given P500 million in operational funds that were meant to be used only for the purposes of the trust fund.

The COA cited a 2018 memorandum of agreement between Malacañang and the HUDCC, which provided that the budget for Marawi’s rehabilitation was intended “solely for the operations of the TF Bangon Marawi.”

The COA also rejected del Rosario’s claim of good faith, pointing out that he was aware of the provision in that he was a signatory to the 2018 memorandum that listed the allowable operational expenses of the task force.

“This Commission is of the view that the subject fund transfer cannot be considered as an allied expense under the TFBM’ s operational expenses. Hence, based on the above discussions, this Commission finds Mr. Del Rosario liable for the disallowed transaction,” read part of the COA en banc ruling. – Rappler.com