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Duterte asks COA for elbow room amid COVID-19 pandemic


President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the Commission on Audit to give the government "elbow room" to comply with the state auditors' recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duterte made the remark in his second Talk to the People of the week and still on the heels of the COA's findings of deficiencies in the Department of Health's use of its P67.32 billion for COVID-19 response.

"It is not easy really to comply. We know that we should comply, there is no problem about it. But can we have just enough elbow room?" Duterte said.

"Do not adopt the standards of the pre-pandemic days. We have a problem here," he added.

Duterte last week said it was "bulls—t" to think that the P67.3 billion set aside for the campaign against COVID-19 had been stolen.

"May mga project tayo, malaking project, so ngayon mayroong talagang mga papel papel na hindi masyadong kumpleto sa paperwork ," Duterte said.

He called on the COA to stop publishing its audit reports.

"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 Do not publish it because it would condemn the agency or person that you are flagging," Duterte said.

Duterte also said that when COA flags down an agency "there is already a taint of corruption by perception."

Flagged by auditors

In its annual report for 2020, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the deficiencies were mainly caused by non-compliance with laws, rules, and regulations.

“These deficiencies contributed to the challenges encountered and missed opportunities by the DOH during the time of state of calamity/national emergency, and casted doubts on the regularity of related transactions,” auditors said.

In a congressional hearing on the COA report, Duque said health officials had been “sleepless” since the COA released its annual report, which found various deficiencies in its DOH’s utilization of COVID-19 funds.

“I think COA should also consider that we are not operating under normal circumstances. We’re operating under a state of public health emergency,” Duque said in a congressional hearing.

“Winarak na ninyo kami. Winarak ninyo ang dangal ng DOH. Winarak ninyo ang lahat ng mga kasama dito,” he added.

COA chairman Michael Aguinaldo countered that the commission followed due process in its audit.

COA willing

Aguinaldo said the commission was willing to simplify some of its requirements from government agencies in the annual audit process.

"Dahil kung mayroong some requirements that our perhaps not apt under the present circumstances, puwede naman kami sulatan at tanungin kung puwedeng irelax 'yung ibang requirements," Aguinaldo said during the congressional hearing.

"We know it's pandemic... we know that some adjustments have to be made... we know that there's certain priorities we need to consider at this time, especially allowances and the like," he added. —NB, GMA News

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