Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

A farmer uses a mechanized plow to prepare a rice field in Baras, Rizal on August 6, 2024, Farmworkers Appreciation Day. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176594989286820240806-rice-farmer-rizal-JC-3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>A farmer uses a mechanized plow to prepare a rice field in Baras, Rizal on August 6, 2024, Farmworkers Appreciation Day. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA — At least 58,000 recipients of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) were found by the Commission on Audit (COA) to be ineligible, dead or inactive.In its 2024 audit of the Department of Agriculture (DA), state auditors said farmer-beneficiaries in Regions I, IV-A, IV-B, V, IX, X and XI failed to meet eligibility requirements for rice assistance, citing registration issues, land size limits, and 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 said.The RFFA provides a P5,000 subsidy to farmers to compensate for income loss following the liberalization of rice imports.The COA added that there were recipients in Regions VII and XIII who were either deceased, inactive, or not listed in the Master List of Eligible Farmers but were given financial assistance.“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.Meanwhile, more than 48,000 qualified farmers did not receive any assistance due to lapses in coordination and field validation.The audit also found that 93 farmers in Regions X and XIII received benefits twice under the program, resulting in overpayments worth more than P480,000.In response, the DA said it will improve eligibility checks of beneficiaries under the program and regularly update farmer records through field validation.It also ordered the return of cash assistance given to unqualified or deceased farmers, and their exclusion from future cash aid distributions.<div> </div><div>LIVESTOCK LOSSES</div><div> </div>The audit also called out the agency for &quot;lapse in planning&quot; at the DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sual, Pangasinan, where 52 breeder goats with a book value of more than P2.4 million died due to a lack of proper nutrition.More than half of 101 goats, including 68 Anglo Nubian and 33 Saanen breeders, died in 2024 while in the care of an accountable officer (AO), who had submitted 41 requests for relief from accountability, state auditors said.The report revealed that the animals showed signs of malnutrition, had weakened immune systems, and were unable to withstand environmental stress and natural calamities.Auditors also found that the project, which aims to boost local goat production, had no allocated funds for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) starting in 2023, which resulted in the lack of animal feed provisions.It added that the AO and PREC chief had to sustain the goats with excess feed supplies from the National Livestock Program, along with grasses, legumes, and foliage, which were “insufficient to meet their nutritional requirements.”&quot;Management holds the primary responsibility for ensuring that essential inputs, particularly animal feed, are adequately considered in the agency&#x27;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.  In response to the audit findings, the DA Ilocos Region office said the goats were procured under a locally-funded project (LFP) that was not part of the department’s regular programs, activities, and projects (PAPs).State auditors noted that, according to the AO, feed from the National Livestock Program was delivered intermittently during the first half of 2024 due to procurement delays by the regional office.It added that the feed only became available around June 2024, and no additional supplies were provided during the second semester.The audit body recommended that the project be integrated into the DA’s regular PAPs, with proper funding allocated for feed, medicine, and other essentials.It urged the agency to ensure that the PREC chief documents all animal care requirements and reports these regularly to the regional office to guarantee proper implementation of livestock management plans.Moreover, the COA said the 49 remaining goats should be transferred to better facilities or distributed to eligible farmers.The DA Ilocos Region office said the 2025 budget proposal includes funding for goat feed and that its PREC chief and resident veterinarian will maintain updated records of the goats’ needs.<div> </div>.

The audit also called out the agency for "lapse in planning" at the DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sual, Pangasinan, where 52 breeder goats with a book value of more than P2.4 million died due to a lack of proper nutrition.

The audit also called out the agency for "lapse in planning" at the DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sual, Pangasinan, where 52 breeder goats with a book value of more than P2.4 million died due to a lack of proper nutrition.

COA calls out DA over 58,000 'ineligible' beneficiaries, death of 52 goats

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COA calls out DA over 58,000 'ineligible' beneficiaries, death of 52 goats

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 17, 2025 01:38 PM PHT

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COA

DA

goats

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unqualified

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farmers

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