What is worse than a natural disaster costing thousands of lives and  broken limbs and causing  massive crop losses and  extensive damage to vital infrastructure aside from the fact that it was man’s greed and stupidity that triggered it all?

It’s the irresponsible loss, if not the unconscionable theft, of funds supposedly meant to address the needs of the disaster victims and bankroll the rehabiliation of  affected communities.

The usual thieving hands in government as well as the action or inaction  of disaster officials  or “volunteers” causing the loss of precious funds donated by kind-hearted individuals, foundations,  business federations, international relief organizations, and foreign governments should be made no less than a crime against humanity itself. 

And so with this thought in mind, we agree with and strongly support  Sen. Francis Escudero’s warning that people responsible for the misuse of funds donated for victims of calamities should be meted the highest penalty possible for what he described as a heinous crime.

Reacting to the report of the Commission on Audit on the Department of Social Welfare and Development for 2010, Escudero expressed his disappointment for the more than P193 million that was lying idle in a bank instead of being used for relief operations.

CoA noted that from 2004 to 2010, the DSWD has more than P193.6 million kept in a bank and were not used, “thereby defeating the objective for assistance that resulted further to the accumulation of huge balance of idle funds.”

Another P5.6 million of the funds were used for purposes not directly benefitting the calamity victims.

A total of P314.7 million in donations for calamity victims from various sources were accumulated from 2004 to 2010.

“This is a crying shame! Misuse of donations for victims of calamities should be considered a heinous crime,” Escudero was quoted by a major broadsheet as saying .

He lamented the fact that the funds could have been used to assist the residents that were hit hard by the numerous cyclones that lashed the country during that period, including Ondoy, Pepeng, and Santi in 2009.

This information coming from the CoA was highlighted even more considering that several parts of Northern Mindanao are under a state of calamity after tropical storm Sendong caused flashfloods in the region.

The affected communities are still struggling to recover from the loss of lives and property and with very little funding going their way, rebuilding would take some time to accomplish.

“It is not simple misappropriation, malversation or corruption when money intended for calamity victims are misused given that such help will decide whether a person may live or die,” Escudero said. “To gamble and take advantage of money intended to save lives is a higher level of betrayal that to my mind should be meted the highest penalty,” he added.

The CoA said that part of the funds was used to pay for miscellaneous expenses “which should be more appropriately charged to regular funds.”

These include payment for warehouse rental, forklift rental, facilitation of release of donated goods, relief operations, trucking service, hauling, forklift, supplies, hand pallet truck, hydraulic stacker, tax, food, electricity and water.

“Expenses should be those that will directly benefit the beneficiaries. Said donations are not intended to remain idle in the (bank) waiting for another calamity to occur,” the CoA report stated.