COA declines to comment on Duterte’s tirade, says reports are for transparency

The Commission on Audit (COA) on Tuesday declined to comment on President Rodrigo Duterte’s fresh tirade against state auditors and explained that its audit reports are published for the sake of transparency.

During his weekly national address, Duterte told COA to stop flagging government agencies after state auditors noted “various deficiencies” in the Department of Health’s use of COVID-19 funds totaling P67.32 billion. 

“Stop that flagging, goddamnit. You make a report, do not flag. Do not publish it because it would condemn the agency or person that you are flagging,” the president said.

Sought for comment, Jonathan Beltran of the COA’s Public Information Office said the constitutional commission “refrains from giving comments or reactions.”

“We also cannot offer any additional information other than those included in our audit reports. COA publishes the Annual and other Audit Reports only in our website for transparency purposes,” he told GMA News Online in an email exchange.

At the House hearing on the agency’s audit report on the DOH, COA chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said they would continue doing their jobs.

“We understand the concern of the President but of course, to begin with, we do not flag. We just observe and recommend. The 'flagging' is actually a term used by media pero kami hindi nag-flag (but we do not flag) because some of our observations are actually positive,” he explained.

“Insofar as the work of the COA, tuloy po kami (we will continue), we have a constitutional mandate, we have to comply with that,” he added.

‘Expression of frustration’

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque earlier maintained that Duterte’s statement was not a threat but merely an expression of frustration. 

“I don't think he made threats; he expressed frustration,” Roque said. “Wala pong issue 'yon. I guess ang sinasabi lang ni Presidente, frustrated siya kasi ang basa ng taongbayan sa initial observations may condemnation.”

Lawmakers, meanwhile, reminded Duterte that no one can stop COA and other constitutional bodies from performing their mandate. 

Duterte’s statement early Tuesday morning was the latest in a series of tirades against COA.

In 2018, he called on local officials to defy the “stupid” circulars of COA and even told then Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos to push a COA employee down the stairs after being told that state auditors do not allow cash advances for building materials like GI sheets. 

In 2019, Duterte spoke about kidnapping and torturing COA personnel and criticized the body for its accountability rules on the spending of government funds.  — RSJ, GMA News