Barangays in Eastern Samar and Catanduanes spent disaster funds mainly on relief goods, equipment, and training, while long-term risk reduction, climate adaptation, and livelihood recovery received little support, an Oxfam Pilipinas study found.
The study examined the use of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Funds in 12 barangays across six municipalities from 2020 to 2024.
Spending rates varied widely, but researchers found a common tendency to finance short-term and tangible needs. Investments in prevention, climate adaptation, and livelihood recovery were rare, while no rehabilitation and recovery expenditures appeared in the records reviewed.
Oxfam Pilipinas disaster risk reduction manager Georgina Opinion said barangays cannot reduce risks effectively when records are incomplete, reporting guidance is unclear, and plans fail to translate into spending.
“Barangays are the first line of protection when disasters strike, but they cannot reduce risk effectively when utilization records are incomplete, guidance on reporting is unclear, and plans do not translate into spending,” Opinion said.
She added that “the fund must be more than a source of relief goods after an emergency. It should help communities prepare, protect livelihoods, and reduce the risks that repeatedly push families into crisis.”
Philippine law requires local governments to set aside at least 5% of estimated revenue for disaster risk reduction and management. Seventy percent of the fund is intended for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, climate change adaptation, and post-disaster recovery, while 30% is reserved for quick response.
The study found that records obtained from barangays were often partial, aggregated, or missing. Some barangays presented Annual Investment Programs showing what they intended to finance instead of reports on actual expenditures. Others relied on handwritten records without standard categories.
Barangay-level utilization data were also largely absent from databases maintained by oversight agencies.
Researchers found that barangays were generally audited only once every three years, limiting opportunities for timely feedback and correction. Commission on Audit regional representatives estimated that only around 5% of barangays in the region submitted reports regularly.
Community priorities also did not consistently translate into funded programs.
Farmers, fisherfolk, women, older people, persons with disabilities and young people identified needs including livelihood assistance, dignity kits, assistive devices and accessible evacuation support. No sector-specific disaster expenditures appeared in the records reviewed.
Oxfam Pilipinas anticipatory action lead Maria Theresa Niña Espinola-Abogado said disaster preparedness should include measures taken before hazards result in losses.
“Preparedness is not only about stocking supplies. It also means acting before hazards become disasters, using risk information and forecasts to protect people, livelihoods and essential services,” Espinola-Abogado said.
She said barangays need “practical, continuing support so they can turn local knowledge and early warnings into funded action before families suffer avoidable losses.”
Oxfam Pilipinas called on municipal governments to maintain complete and validated barangay records and provide regular technical support on planning, budgeting and project design.
The study also recommended stronger coordination among oversight agencies and participatory budgeting so communities can help decide how disaster risk reduction and management funds are used.
“Communities must be able to see where the money goes and have a real voice in deciding which risks are addressed,” Opinion said.
The research covered barangays in Virac, Dolores, Balangiga, Lawaan, Quinapondan and Salcedo in Eastern Samar and Catanduanes.
Oxfam Pilipinas said the findings describe conditions in the 12 study sites and are not a statistical estimate for all Philippine barangays.
