In defending Duque, Duterte cites old COA reports supposedly flagging De Lima, Roxas

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night brought up the Commission on Audit's findings on the previous administration allegedly flagging former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

In his weekly public address, Duterte hit de Lima and Roxas for old COA reports on supposed unliquidated funds of the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government when they were still headed by the two officials.

Duterte said the DOJ had unliquidated cash advance in 2013, while the DILG had unliquidated fund transfer in December 2014.

"Ito, unliquidated cash advances. Ito, perang kinuha talaga. Itong kay Duque, magbili. Ito sila, cash advance, nag-bale," Duterte said.

"Itong kay De Lima ang pinakamaingay... Ngayon si De Lima maingay. Sige nga mag-ingay ka ngayon."

"Mabuti na malaman ng Pilipino kung sino ang magnanakaw," he added.

In 2014, the DOJ denied accumulating P617.44 million in unliquidated cash advances. It clarified that the unliquidated cash advances only amounted to P890,000.

Meanwhile, COA in 2014 said as of December 31, 2014, the accumulated worth of unliquidated fund transfers of the DILG had already reached P7.040 billion.

The Liberal Party in 2016 said the liquidation of the amount cited in the COA report is the responsibility of concerned LGUs and not the DILG.

Recently, Duterte slammed COA for flagging the Department of Health over alleged deficiencies in the use of its COVID-19 funds.—LDF, GMA News