After hitting COA, Duterte recognizes agency's role: It is not personal

After castigating state auditors in his last public address, President Rodrigo Duterte has now acknowledged the role of the Commission on Audit, saying the annual reports are not personal.

“I know that you have to do it. Kailangan gawin ninyo utos ng batas. Wala akong…at tsaka ‘di personal ‘yan. 'Di tayo magkakakilala,” Duterte said in a taped public address aired Saturday morning.

(You need to do it as the law requires it. I don't have...And it is not personal. We don't know each other.)

Reconfigure the report

Eventually, Duterte asked the state auditors to “reconfigure” its reports to make clear that the government agencies being flagged recently are not yet proven to have committed graft.

“Alam ko walang malisya, you are just doing your duty. But in making the report, kindly reconfigure everything and sabihin sa una, at the first instance, pag ma-interview ka, sabihin mo agad there is no corruption here, there is no money involved,” Duterte said.

[I know there is no malice here, you're just doing your duty. But in making the report, at the first instance, please make clear that the report doesn't contain charges of corruption. There is no money involved, in the first place.]

He also took note of some news headlines screaming "Duter defends the DOH" after the COA flagged the "deficiencies” on the agency’s use of the P69-billion funds for COVID-19.

“I am not defending DOH. Trabaho nila yan (that is their job) and we are governed by the rules….I am not defending because they are not being accused of anything. I am just sharing my opinion,” he said.

“Kasi agad ‘Duterte is defending DOH from anomalies’ p***** in*! Anong anomalies dyan? Sabi ko nga e, hindi man sila ang nagbabayad, ang [Department of Budget and Management] man,” he said.

(They are quick to say ‘Duterte s defending DOH from anomalies.’ What are the anomalies? They are not the ones who are paying. It is the DBM.)

“Yan ang problema. Yan ang masakit sa kapwa ko taga-gobyerno. All government officials. Ang Congress hindi masyado, hindi pakialam ang Congress ang COA. I am sure takot kayo sa Congress kasi pagdating ng budget bigyan ka lang ng piso, tapos ka na. Pero dito kayo, bugbugin talaga ninyo,” he added.

(That is the problem. That’s disheartening from my fellow servants in the government. All government officials. The Congress is not that scrutinized. I am sure COA is afraid of Congress because once the budget season comes, Congress could give you a one-peso budget for their whole year. But if you are here [in the Executive Department], they will surely scrutinize you.)

Repercussions of audit reports

The president also lamented that the audit reports have repercussions on the government agencies considering the current political climate in the country.

“Pero ang mga repercussion lang, gusto man o hindi, gusto ko rin o hindi, ay [mangyayari] kapag ganitong Philippine environment ng ating bansa, politika at mga tao na— well there is a freedom to criticize whatever but kailangan malaman ng Pilipino na ano talaga ang totoo,” the president said.

(But the repercussions, whether you like it or not, whether I like it also or not, will happen in our Philippine environment, with politics and people — well there is a freedom to criticize whatever but Filipinos need to know the truth.)

“Ngayon ang hindi maniwala, wala na ako magawa sa inyo but you can check this with the government records,” he added.

(Now those who refuse to believe, I cannot do anything about it, but you can check this with the government records.)

Duterte then mentioned an executive order (EO) on transparency, apparently referring to his 2016 order for Freedom of Information (FOI) in the Executive Department.

“It is open. Sabihin niyo lang gusto niyo, I will give the order to open whatever. There is ating transparency law, transparency executive order,” he said.

(Just tell us what you want, I will give the order to open whatever [records].)

“Wala pa 'yung batas. Mayrooon ako EO but Congress has yet to act on itong batas making it transparent, everything that the public may want to know,” he said.

(There is no law yet. I have an EO but Congress has yet to act on a law making it transparent, everything that the public may want to know.)

Last Monday night, Duterte slammed COA after the Department of Health drew flak over the “deficiencies” on the use of multi-billion-peso allocation for COVID-19 response in 2020. —KG/LBG, GMA News