A ranking official of the Department of the Interior and Local (DILG) said the unused funds for hiring contact tracers and other Covid-19 health-related necessities were returned to the National Treasury.

"Aside from the contact tracers being given by the DILG out of our appropriations, LGUs also have their own contact tracers and augmenting the DILG contact tracers, hence savings and other unexpended balances," DILG Assistant Secretary Ester Aldana said.

She added there was excess for Covid-19 related expenditures after the local government units (LGUs) hired their own contact tracers and provided transportation services for the personnel assigned at the height of the pandemic.

Of the unobligated amount, Aldana said PHP140 million intended for hiring contact tracers remains valid for obligation until the end of the year.

For his part, DILG Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said that the department's unobligated amount of P577 million was from the 2021 appropriations fund, which is still valid for obligation until Dec. 31, 2022.

The DILG said it would use the P436 million for continuing appropriations, which were already reverted to the Bureau of Treasury under Bayanihan 2.

Earlier, the Commission on Audit (COA) called the DILG's attention for failing to use its P4.038 billion Covid-19 budget for 2021, with the unused funds amounting to P577 million.

Abalos assured to have the unused funds checked and investigated further, even if the question at hand happened before his tenure as DILG chief. (Glen Jacob Jose)