‘This is just the first batch of COA findings on various government agencies, but the sad part here is that its reports are largely recommendatory and thus the heads of these erring agencies will just take note of these audit observations and continue with the old ways.’
YOU know that the Commission on Audit (COA), an independent constitutional body, is doing its job when it publishes its reports on updated findings, almost always in the middle of the year.
During this time, the COA announces its audit of the finances, contracts, assets, revenues, systems, etc. of government agencies and local government units, and the people are given a peek of how their taxes are being spent or misspent by those who had sworn to judiciously handle them.
This midyear, the initial flags raised by government auditors were about the arrangement between the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and People’s Television Network (PTVN) regarding airtime for the broadcast of lotto activities. The COA pointed out that there was no valid memorandum of agreement (MOA) or contract between the two agencies.
Another item flagged by the auditors is the over P72.84-million unliquidated fund transfers of the Local Government Academy (LGA), an agency under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), as of the end of 2020. In a report, the COA said 64% of this amount had been outstanding from one to over three years, casting doubt as to whether or not the Academy’s resources are being used effectively and the projects’ objective towards the delivery of the desired outputs are efficiently implemented. The irony here is that the LGA is supposed to instruct and train local officials in the correct way of managing their towns, cities, provinces and barangays, including management of finances. With this announcement from the COA, it looks like it is the LGA which should be taught money management first.
Another humongous scandal is that one in the Department of Health (DOH), after the COA found deficiencies in the department’s handling of P67.32-billion COVID-19 mitigation funds. This prompted a Bayan Muna party-list representative to call for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III anew, in the wake of “blatant negligence and corruption taking place in the DOH.”
The COA reported that the deficiencies it discovered were mainly caused by non-compliance with laws, rules, and regulations. Specifically, the audit body found that P42.41 billion intended for the DOH’s COVID-19 response was transferred to procurement or implementing partner agencies without a memorandum of agreement and other supporting documents. The state auditors also flagged allotments totaling P11.89 billion that remained unobligated as of December 31 last year.
This is just the first batch of COA findings on various government agencies, but the sad part here is that its reports are largely recommendatory and thus the heads of these erring agencies will just take note of these audit observations and continue with the old ways.
Such is the way they do business in government and we can only hope that these officials can still reform and tread the path of real and honest public service.
