MANILA — The Commission on Audit (COA) determined that at least 58,000 users of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) were ineligible, deceased, or inactive.

State auditors found that farmer-beneficiaries in Regions I, IV-A, IV-B, V, IX, X, and XI did not meet eligibility standards for rice assistance in their 2024 audit of the Department of Agriculture (DA), citing registration problems, land size restrictions, and a lack of supporting documents.

“They were either not rice farmers; not registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA); tilling or owning more than two hectares of farmland; or failed to submit the necessary paperwork to support their declaration of farmland area,” The audit body stated.

In order to make up for revenue lost following rice imports were liberalized, the RFFA gives farmers a P5,000 subsidy.

According to the COA, several recipients in Regions VII and XIII who received financial aid were either inactive, deceased, or not on the Master List of Eligible Farmers.

“The cash assistance granted to those whose eligibility is questionable could have been utilized to support other qualified beneficiaries; thus, defeating the core objective of the program.” it added.

In the meantime, coordination and field validation issues prevented almost 48,000 eligible farmers from receiving any support.

Additionally, 93 farmers in Regions X and XIII got benefits twice under the scheme, resulting in overpayments of more than P480,000, according to the audit.

In response, the DA stated that it will enhance program beneficiary eligibility checks and routinely update farmer records through field validation.

Additionally, it mandated that farmers who were not eligible or who had passed away receive their cash aid back and be barred from receiving it in the future.

Livestock Losses

The audit also criticized the agency for “lapse in planning” at the DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sual, Pangasinan, where 52 breeder goats valued at over P2.4 million perished from malnutrition.

Based to state auditors, almost half of 101 goats—68 Anglo Nubian and 33 Saanen breeders—died in 2024 while under the supervision of an accountable officer (AO) who had filed 41 petitions for exemption from accountability.

According to the findings, the animals had compromised immune systems, had symptoms of starvation, and were vulnerable to natural disasters and environmental stress.

Also, the auditors discovered that starting in 2023, the project, which aims to increase local goat production, had no cash set aside for maintenance and other operational expenditures (MOOE), which led to a shortage of animal feed.

It also stated that the goats were “insufficient to meet their nutritional requirements,” thus the AO and PREC head had to provide them with extra feed from the National Livestock Program un addition to grasses, legumes, and leaves.

“Management holds the primary responsibility for ensuring that essential inputs, particularly animal feed, are adequately considered in the agency’s budget and that project implementation is carried out effectively. The failure to do so reflects a lapse in planning and oversight,” the audit body said.

The DA Ilocos Region office responded to the audit findings by stating that the goats were purchased as part of a locally funded project (LFP) that was not included in the department’s regular programs, activities, and projects (PAPs).

According to the AO, state auditors noted that the regional office’s procurement delays caused feed from the National Livestock Program to be distributed sporadically in the first half of 2024.

It further stated that no further supplies were sent during the second semester and that the feed only became accessible around June 2024.

The audit body recommended that the project be incorporated into the DA’s regular PAPs and that adequate funds be set aside for necessities like food and medication.

In order to ensure that livestock management plans are properly implemented, it advised the agency to make sure that the PREC chief records all animal care requirements and reports them on a regular basis to the regional office.

Additionally, the COA stated that the 49 surviving goats were to be given to qualified farmers or moved to better conditions.

Goat feed is included in the 2025 budget request, according to the DA Ilocos Region office, and the PREC chief and resident veterinarian will keep up-to-date records of the goats’ requirements.