MANILA, Philippines - The city government of Cotabato has denied a report released by the Commission on Audit (COA) that it failed to draw up a disaster preparedness plan.
In a letter to The STAR, the city council led by Vice Mayor Hadji Abdullah Andang said the city government passed a risk reduction management plan as early as August 2012.
The council said Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. approved the plan the following month, copies of which were sent to COA in November of the same year.
The city officials said all disbursements from the city's risk reduction management fund were covered with an ordinance.
State auditors, in a 2013 report released only recently, cited Cotabato City’s alleged lack of a disaster preparedness plan.
“The non-preparation of a plan and budget and the non-creation of local disaster management body may affect the local government unit's capability to address problems on mitigating disaster risk,” the COA report said.