The Commission on Audit (CoA) has flagged the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) over P1.5 million in “unnecessary” spending for meals and snacks during meetings in 2023.

The CoA defines unnecessary expenditures as those not supportive of the implementation of the objectives and mission of the agency relative to the nature of its operation, as well as spending that is not essential.

An audit revealed that the VFP spent P1.461 million on food for meetings held within the VFP building. State auditors noted that meal expenses are typically covered by the petty cash fund (PCF), given they’re relatively small amounts.

However, the lion’s share amounting to P0.940 million was procured through cash advances (CA).

The budgeted amount for CAs included morning snacks, lunch, and afternoon snacks.

The remaining P0.521 million, meanwhile, was spent on meals purchased through the PCF also provided during meetings.

“The practice of providing sets of meals/snacks through CAs, either because the amount is too large for the PCF or due to the urgency of the meeting, may not have been prudent for the VFP when organizing staff meetings and using the government funds,” the auditing body said.