MANILA — The Commission on Audit (COA) has raised concerns regarding the Department of Education’s (DepEd) P5.69 billion School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) during Vice President Sara Duterte’s final year as secretary.
According to COA’s 2023 annual audit report, 21 School Division Offices (SDOs) experienced delays in implementing the program’s regular and milk feeding components.
“The commitment to provide good nutrition to learners was not optimally achieved due to the following deficiencies that hampered the successful implementation of the program: a) delayed implementation of both Regular and Milk Feeding Components in 21 SDOs; b) non-compliance with the technical specifications and other deviations from the DepEd operational guidelines; and c) non-reprogramming of unutilized funds,” the report noted.
“Moreover, payment of Nutritious Food Products (NFP) prior to delivery and other lapses in the procurement as well as inspection and acceptance of deliveries were noted in audit,” it further stated.
The SBFP aims to nourish students for better growth, development, and immune system support. It includes two components: hot meals and milk (pasteurized/sterilized), provided for 33 feeding days.
In some DepEd offices in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Northern Mindanao, state auditors found issues related to the quality, packaging, and expiration of delivered food items.
The Aurora SDO reported pests or insects in the milky buns and squash nutribuns meant for students.
In Bulacan, reports indicated that some delivered items were rotten, unripe, or crushed. Additionally, Bulacan and Meycauyan City did not conduct feeding activities daily as required.
In Misamis Oriental, 1,001 E-Nutribuns delivered between September 2023 and January 2024 were returned to suppliers for replacement due to mold and discoloration occurring shortly before their expiration dates.
Some items were delivered in poor condition due to packaging issues, the report stated.
The COA also found instances where students who were supposed to receive the nutribuns were absent, leading to the food being distributed to other learners to avoid spoilage.
The Iligan SDO reported discrepancies in expiry dates, with individual items dated October 26, 2023, while the boxes indicated a later date. The manufacturing date was also not clearly legible.
The Quezon City SDO noted that some food items were not individually wrapped in cling wrap or paper, as required, and that certain items were smaller or lighter than the contract specified. Quezon City was also flagged for distributing more than the required quantity and for failing to distribute other food items on schedule.
According to the COA report, 21 SDOs nationwide either received milk late or not at all, including those in Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, Ifugao, Baguio City, Benguet, La Union, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Camarines Sur, Zamboanga City, Bukidnon, Valencia City, Malaybalay, Tagum City, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Norte, Butuan City, Cabadbaran City, Surigao City, and Surigao del Norte.
“The delayed implementation of the SBFP may result in non-completion of the full cycle of the feeding program for its targeted beneficiaries, hence, the maximum benefits from the program may not be attained,” the COA emphasized.
State auditors provided recommendations to the concerned SDOs.
DepEd responded by saying it had instructed an inspection team to conduct a site visit to the food preparation area of the supplier responsible for the insect-infested buns. It also committed to closely monitoring the SBFP implementation in Aurora.
DepEd Quezon City also pledged to introduce additional menu options to prevent abrupt changes in food items.
Aside from these issues, the COA highlighted the underutilization of SBFP funds by the Sultan Kudarat SDO, totaling P8,026,519.85, and the Bulacan SDO, amounting to P691,323.10, noting that the underutilized funds deprived beneficiaries of the program’s full benefits.
In response, the SDOs promised to enhance program execution and monitor fund utilization more effectively.
State auditors also pointed out that the Palawan SDO fully paid for nutritious food products for the 2022 SBFP despite delays in delivery.
An accountant from SDO Palawan stated that the full payment was based on submitted documents and that liquidated damages were received from the supplier on March 6, 2024.
“The interest of the government was not protected and the attainment of the program objectives and the safety of the intended beneficiaries were put to risk due to non-conformance with specifications,” the COA stated.
“The excess/remaining balance of SBFP continuing and current funds shall be used for the following priority purposes: Feed all learners present/enrolled in the school, prioritizing the lowest grade level, and other secondary beneficiaries,” it added.
During a House budget hearing on Monday, lawmakers criticized DepEd over the COA findings, describing them as “unacceptable.”
DepEd cited challenges in sourcing local milk supplies to avoid spoilage and stated that the supplier would replace any spoiled food at no additional cost to the government.
Lawmakers called for an investigation into the lapses, including potentially blacklisting non-compliant suppliers.
New DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, who took office last month, expressed openness to these suggestions to ensure that suppliers meet government standards.