Audit finds pest infestations ruin over P106 million in disaster relief stockpiles

The Commission on Audit’s 2025 report on the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund highlighted serious storage and pest-control failures in warehouses used by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and partnered local governments. In Northern Mindanao, nearly P107 million of disaster-response goods were exposed to rodents, resulting in contamination, physical damage and spoilage. Similar lapses were found in the Ilocos Region, where supplies were either discarded before reaching beneficiaries or left idle for long periods, and in Calabarzon, where local-government warehouses did not meet required sanitation standards, endangering prepositioned items.

In Davao Region, food packs were nearing expiration due to insufficient monitoring. Auditors urged immediate remediation, stricter monitoring and compliance with storage standards to protect the remaining P21.1 million of inventory.