President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday called on the Commission on Audit to reconsider its report flagging the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council for using P5 million intended for housing projects, to fund the Islamic pilgrimage of Muslim Filipinos last year.
Speaking to an audience of mostly Muslim Filipinos during the celebration of Eid’l Fitr in Davao City, the President said the Islamic pilgrimage, or Hajj, is more important for Muslims than government housing projects.
“I’m asking COA to reconsider. What is P5 million anyway? Actually, that P5 million is worth billions in terms of your kind generosity to finance the poor people, especially Muslims to perform Hajj,” he said.
“You can forget the housing there being planned by the government but to the individual Muslim believer, five mansions are nothing. A simple token of generosity [from the government] to help him do the Hajj, that’s more important for them,” he added.
According to its 2018 report, the state auditor urged the HUDCC to return the P5 million taken from the Task Force Bangon Marawi. The fund was originally earmarked to fund the rehabilitation projects of the Marawi City.
The HUDDC, however, diverted P5 million to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos for the religious trip of displaced Marawi residents to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The state-run auditors said the said amount, which came from the P500-million budget given by the Office of the President to HUDCC, must only be used for the “recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the City of Marawi and other affected localities.”
The commission said sponsorship of trips is not allowed.
HUDCC chief Eduardo del Rosario earlier appealed to the COA to allow the fund transfer since it was properly dispensed by the NCMF.
Del Rosario maintained “everything is above board and transparent.”
“We are writing an appeal to COA not to disallow this vital transaction since the P5 million was properly dispensed by NCMF,” he said.
“Besides, the funds used came from the President’s social fund and not from the funds appropriated by Congress,” he added.
Duterte urged COA to take another look at the matter, noting that the government allocates P15 million yearly to finance the pilgrimage of Muslim Filipinos.
“There is a fund set aside to enhance the travel of our brothers and sisters for the pilgrimage to fulfill a lifetime dream,” he said.