COA flags P93.55M in stalled Carcar projects

The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged several projects in Carcar City, noting that P93.55 million remained unimplemented.

In its 2025 Financial Audit Report, COA said the P93.55 million represented 53 projects, or about 60.29 percent of the city’s P155.16 million appropriation as of 31 December 2025.

The reasons for non-implementation included land problems, sites not ready for construction, incomplete documents and procurement delays.

The funds came from the 20 percent Development Fund.

COA also flagged P270.77 million worth of completed infrastructure projects that are now "idle."

The audit report identified three facilities: the P19.99 million Takdog Water Treatment Facility, which was completed in 2018; the P100.89 million Carcar City Public Transport Terminal, completed in 2020; and the P149.89 million Livestock Auction Market, completed in 2024.

COA said the continued idleness of these facilities meant government resources were not being used effectively.

There is also a P2.64 billion accounting discrepancy in property, plant and equipment after COA found an unreconciled difference between the General Ledger and the city’s physical count report.

COA added that P562.32 million in domestic loans payable had a P43.15 million unreconciled difference against loan amortization schedules, while P1.34 million in accrued interest had not been recognized.

Also raised were P187.38 million in inventories and real property/special education tax receivables, P36.99 million in long-outstanding accounts payable and P8.24 million in breeding stocks.

COA previously questioned Carcar City’s P3 million El Niño rice assistance program because the city could not produce a beneficiary list showing who received the 1,073 sacks of 50-kilogram rice.

COA said the absence of documentation made it difficult to establish that the rice reached the intended beneficiaries.

However, COA clarified that the findings do not automatically indicate corruption or criminal wrongdoing.

COA is identifying deficiencies and requiring the city to explain, correct, document or resolve them.

DAILY TRIBUNE tried several times to get City Mayor Patrick Barcenas’ side, but as of this writing, he has yet to respond.