The probing eyes of auditors at the Commission on Audit (COA) will play a key role in the success of the Aquino administration’s six year National Greening Program (NGP).
This, according to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje who recently sought the help of COA for the audit of some 1.5 billion tree seedlings that would be produced and planted in 1.5 million hectares under the program, between 2011 up to 2016.
Paje disclosed that a letter had been sent to COA chairperson Ma. Gracia Pulido Tan last May, requesting COA “to give regular audit priority and attention to (NGP)” to ascertain accuracy of field reports, with particular focus on the financial statements of the seedlings’ production and distribution .
The letter was also signed by Secretaries Prospero Alcala and Virgilio De Los Reyes of the Departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, respectively, which are NGP’s co-implementors under the Convergence Initiative.
Paje emphasized that the move to enlist the top watchdog at every level of government’s performance will enhance the three Deprtments’ capabiltiy to focus on improving the survival rate of the seedlings planted and “see whether our people in the field are really working.”
“We wrote a joint letter to COA to audit us periodically. Kung pupuwede, quarterly,” Paje said, expressing willingness to cover the expenses that may arise if the auditing can be held on a quarterly basis.
Said Paje: “If we need to pay COA to audit us (quarterly), we will pay because accounting and auditing entail costs.”
Under the NGP scheme, planting will be undertaken mostly by volunteers while the site identification and site preparation for the planting will be done by government.
NGP’s costing is peg at P12,500 on a per hectare basis, of which P6,000 is allocated for production of seedlings at an average of 500 seedlings for every hectare, or a unit cost of P12.00 per seedling. The balance of P6,000 will be for mobilization cost.
Paje identified site identification and site preparation as the most crucial components of the three activities that would largely determine the survivability of the seedlings, aside from the use of a fungus-based fertilizer called “Mykovam” which, according to Paje, triples the root surface and aids in the survival of seedlings against the elements and infections. Mykovam contains a species of fungi called vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) which infects the roots and increases the plant’s absorption of water and nutrients.
“Yung site identification and preparation, aakuhin na namin para bumaba yung mortality rate,” Paje said, adding that the NGP is aiming for an 80 to 85 percent survival of seedlings planted in every hectare.
For 2011, NGP aims to reforest some 100,000 hectares using 50,000 seedlings.
Meanwhile, Assistant COA resident auditor for DENR and auditor team leader for DENR-Office of the Secretary Melba Fajardo said the move to elevate the NGP auditing as a matter of priority in the three agencies’ agenda has provided a clear signal from them as to what priority should they give attention to in their annual Audit Focus Planning or AFP.
Fajardo explained that areas of priority for their auditing activities are mapped up in these AFPs and emphasized that function to be assumed by COA as requested by the three agencies will be in conformity with the provisions of Presidential Decree 1445 or the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.
“The bottomline is that our auditing of NGP’s performance will be gauged according to the value-for-money standard to see if the reports consolidated by our regional counterparts measure up to three indicators in terms of efficiency of utilization of funds disbursed, economy and effectiveness of bringing real and measurable benefits to intended beneficiaries of the NGP,” Fajardo said. PAO, DENR
