Palace defends Duterte’s ‘pakialam ko diyan’ remark on COA circulars

Malacañang on Monday defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s order on local officials to defy “stupid” Commission on Audit (COA) circulars, even joking that the state auditor in Ilocos Norte should be pushed down the stairs so that he would not be able to report on the local government’s transactions.

Duterte made the remark after Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos claimed during a briefing that COA does not allow cash advances for the purchase of building materials.

The President claimed that COA has not contributed to the national development and that its circulars that cover government transactions are meaningless because these are not “law.”

“’Yang circular na ‘yan, pakialam ko diyan. Make it a law. I don’t give a shi* on a circular,” Duterte said.

This pronouncement, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, was made to address COA’s numerous requirements.

“Ang konteksto po niyan ay maraming limitasyon pagdating sa delivery ng humanitarian assistance in times of crisis. Ang sinasabi ng Presidente, considering post-audit naman ang COA, hayaan na muna ang pangangailanagan ng taumbayan, saka na muna ‘yang addressin ‘yang mga napakaraming requirements ng COA,” Roque said in a press briefing in Benguet.

Roque added that Duterte just wanted to ensure that government processes will not hinder efforts to assist typhoon-hit areas.

“Ang importante ngayon, wala dapat bureaucratic red tape sa pag-release ng tulong (sa) bayan… At sabi ng Presidente kung mayroong nilalabag na COA circular d’yan, so be it, the buck stops with him.. he is calling in all government offices to give the people what they need in time

s of calamities, siya na ang mananagot sa COA kung mayroong pananagutan,” Roque noted.

Duterte issued the remark after super Typhoon “Ompong,” described by forecasters as the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, ravaged four regions of Luzon over the weekend.

Damage in Ilocos Norte, records from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed, was pegged at P2.3 billion.   /vvp