MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been asked to explain the procurement of 5,869 gallons of paint for 248 bunkhouses for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) spent P6 million for the project.

“It appeared that almost 24 gallons of paint were consumed for each bunkhouse… which was an enormous quantity for the size of a bunkhouse,” a Commission on Audit (COA) report released on Friday stated.

A bunkhouse has 24 rooms, each with a floor area of 8.64 square meters.

The COA report noted that 1,522 gallons were not utilized. “Prolonged stocking might affect the quality and usefulness of the paint and eventually result in wastage of government resources,“ it said.

The report also called the attention of Pagcor over lack of completion reports, including pictures of the project and the liquidation of expenses in accordance with a memorandum of agreement it signed with the DPWH.

Fire stations

In a separate report, COA expressed dismay over the failure of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to build 316 fire stations last year despite the availability of funds.

COA said the BFP is mandated to build at least one fire station in every province, city and municipality. The fire stations should be equipped with adequate personnel and facilities to provide better public services and avoid the expiration of funds, the audit team said.

The BFP management, for its part, blamed the failure of local government units to provide lots for the fire stations.