FACT-CHECK: No COA audit report on Puerto Princesa’s ‘missing, undocumented’ P86-M calamity fund

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Puerto Princesa spent P32 million out of its P86-million calamity fund after it was put under a state of calamity in February 2025

Claim:  The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the local government of Puerto Princesa in Palawan for the city’s missing P86-million calamity fund, which had no proper documentation.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post by Palawan News Express page has been shared 792 times, with 663 reactions and 370 comments, as of writing. 

The graphic on the post reads, “P86 milyong calamity fund ng Puerto Princesa, nawawala! Isiniwalat ng Commission on Audit (COA) sa kanilang pinakahuling Annual Audit Report na P86 milyong piso mula sa calamity fund ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa ang nawawala at walang maayos na dokumentasyon.”(P86 million calamity fund of Puerto Princesa, missing! The Commission on Audit revealed in their latest Annual Audit Report that P86 million from the calamity fund of the Local Government of Puerto Princesa is missing and has no proper documentation.)

The facts: According to a Palawan Daily News report on Monday, May 5, City Information Officer Richard Ligad dismissed the circulating claims about the missing P86 million calamity fund. Ligad clarified that only P32,364,350 had been used out of the P86,567,048.40 allocated for calamity response.

The P86-million calamity fund was made available to the city when it was placed under a state of calamity last February after severe flooding due to the shear line, according to a GMA Regional News report. The flooding affected 3,000 families and hundreds of hectares of farmland in 24 barangays.

The P32 million was spent on cash assistance to residents affected by the disaster. Ligad emphasized that the office of the mayor had “no involvement in the listing or distribution of assistance.” The officer said that procedures were handled at the barangay and social welfare levels. The remaining P54 million is available for future emergencies. 

Puerto Princesa’s delayed flood control project: In the COA’s 2023 Annual Audit Report, Puerto Princesa was flagged for the city’s Flood Control Project costing P120 million, which remained incomplete as of December 31, 2023. The P120-million funding for this project is different from the P86 million allocated for the city in February 2025 when it was under a state of calamity.

Other signs of false information: On his Facebook page, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo “Cecil” Rodriguez Bayron fact-checked the claim, saying that it is “fake news.” Bayron reminded Filipinos not to believe information online especially if it comes from pages without credibility. The Palawan News Express Facebook page was created only in November 2022.

Ligad encouraged Filipinos to turn to official city pages for reliable and credible information. – Laurice Angeles/Rappler

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