@BANGSAMOROGOVT

A HOUSE of Representatives committee on Monday urged the Commission on Audit (CoA) to start a fraud investigation into the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) use of its P6.4-billion support fund amid corruption concerns.

State auditors could investigate BARMM’s alleged misuse of its multi-billion fund, which was allegedly disbursed to barangays allied with the regional government’s administration, Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said.

“Maybe it’s [time] that we invite the attention of the CoA central to conduct the necessary auditing procedures that they would tend to do to assess, monitor the utilization of the P6.4-billion local government support fund in the BARMM,” he told during a House public accounts hearing on Monday, based on a statement.

The House public accounts panel in January opened an inquiry into the alleged fund misuse, which was raised by Mr. Adiong during his privilege speech earlier that month. He said that bank accounts of over 400 barangays in Lanao del Sur province received funds amounting P500,000 to P2.5 million from the support fund. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio