Keep CoA audit memos public — senator
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
A PHILIPPINE Senator on Wednesday opposed the Ombudsman’s proposal to remove provisions in the national budget requiring the publication of the Commission on Audit’s (CoA) initial reports on government agencies, saying such a change only hinders transparency.
“The non-publication of audit observation memoranda (AOM) by the CoA will only weaken the government’s ability to promptly flag and investigate irregularities involving public money,” Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement.
“These audit observations have been historically important in getting to the bottom of issues that involve the misuse of public coffers,” she added.
During a House of Representatives hearing on the Office of the Ombudsman’s budget on Monday, Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires recommended Congress to remove the requirement mandating the CoA to publish audit recommendations of each government agency to “prevent confusion.”
“It is causing confusion because people would read an error in a P10-million project and would think that the government official earned [from the project…but it just] didn’t submit a receipt,” he said.
But on Wednesday, the Office of the Ombudsman clarified that Mr. Martires did not want CoA’s annual audit report of an agency to be published, noting that only the final audit report should be published since initial reports could still be appealed.
“The Office is fully committed in pursuing its mandate as protectors of the people by ensuring that its processes are fully aligned with integrity, transparency and accountability in public service,” it said.
