The Commission on Audit Admits its Inadequacy in Checking Government Projects
Posted on Wednesday, 19 November 2014
The
Commission on Audit
Admits
its Inadequacy in Checking
Government
Projects
By Apolinario Villalobos
Listening to the Commissioner of COA during
the latest Senate hearing on the Philippine Science High School Building
(November 18), makes one conclude that it is a useless agency of the government.
Something is wrong with its mandated responsibilities. To a layman’s knowledge,
an audit is supposed to be conducted to know if a certain project is in order
or not. There is not even a complete transparency on how it operates. The COA
is supposed to provide the check and balance, so that it is shocking to know
that the agency has no capability to assume such role due to so many
inadequacies, including the budgetary constraint. This helplessness of the
agency gave corrupt agencies and local governments to skirt rules in funding
projects, out of which they can derive scandalous commissions, as payments are
based on their recommendation
The honesty of the COA Commissioner is
commendable in admitting the agency’s handicaps so that the Senate can finally
legislate rules to help it effectively operate. In other words, the agency has
been wanting for support that was denied it. Instead of considering their
latest proposed budget, for instance, it was drastically slashed. The
additional budget that was disapproved was supposed to have been used for the
needed logistics such as construction of offices so that its auditors shall no
longer plead for a table space or cubicle in town or city halls, as well as,
other government agencies where they serve as in-house auditors.
The Commissioner revealed that their system
is not even hi-tech, and that they make use of boxes for their other files,
thereby, endangering their confidentiality. She admitted that some important
documents were lost because of their inadequate filing system, to which one
Senator added, that because of lost documents some cases have been dismissed
due to technicalities involving original documents.
The COA is supposed to be a formidable
government agency tasked to assess if acquisitions and projects of the
government are in order. The agency is an important check against graft and
corruption. Unfortunately, its inadequacy has become a big loophole which
dishonest officials and politicians have exploited to systematically rob the
government coffer of people’s money.
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