Duterte refutes COA claim on 11k contractual workers

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday refuted a report by the Commission on Audit claiming the city government hired some 11,000 contractual workers in 2014.

The mayor also questioned the timing of the report, saying the COA office at City Hall should have informed him then, GMA Davao reported Friday.

"It’s impossible, I do not do that. May COA office naman sa (city hall), bakit hindi nila nasabi ito noon, bakit ngayon lang?" he said.

He was referring to the COA report that claimed the city government last year hired 11,000 contractual workers, who got some P708 million in wages.

Also, the COA said there was no proof that these contractual workers rendered actual services to the local government.

However, Duterte said there is no reason to question the hiring of these workers if they indeed rendered services.

"Bakit din nila kukwestyunin ito, basta nagtatrabaho sila? Ang problema riyan kung hindi sila nagtatrabaho," he said. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News