COA Sees Red Flags in P2.2B BARMM School Deals: Missing Papers, Fast Payments, Late Deliveries

A special team from the Commission on Audit has flagged alleged irregularities involving about P2.2 billion in learning material procurements under the Bangsamoro education ministry. The preliminary findings focus on transactions made by the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, or MBHTE, in the BARMM government.

According to the audit findings cited by Rappler, the questioned transactions included more than P1.772 billion for grade-school textbooks for school year 2024 to 2025 and over P449.23 million in payments to a supplier for learners' and teachers' kits. Auditors said these deals appeared to bypass standard review steps and key procurement requirements under Republic Act No. 9184.

One major issue involved 73 disbursement vouchers worth over P2.247 billion that were reportedly processed and paid using only certifications from ministry officials and staff. State auditors said mandatory procurement documents were lacking, yet full payments were still cleared. Medyo mabigat iyan, especially for education funds this large.

The report also pointed to alleged defects in the awarding of 53 contracts worth more than P1.952 billion, including failures to properly verify joint ventures that joined the bidding. For 41 projects worth over P1.47 billion, auditors said contracts went ahead even without the required performance security. Separate findings also cited delayed delivery of small armchairs and more than P16 million in penalties or liquidated damages that were supposedly not imposed despite a 520-day delay.

These findings land at a sensitive time for BARMM's education sector, which has already faced criticism over poor outcomes despite heavy funding. As of publication, the education ministry had not yet issued a fresh response to the reported COA findings, although Minister Mohagher Iqbal had previously denied allegations of massive fraud and insisted procurement followed the rules. If the audit findings hold, this could become one of the region's biggest education accountability stories in a while.

Source: Rappler