Sen. Nancy Binay (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s elected vice president has no auditing powers, Senator Nancy Binay said Friday after President Rodrigo Duterte promised to look into the finances of the Commission on Audit (COA) and other government agencies should he be elected as vice president in 2022.
“Coming from my experience as the daughter of a former vice president, I don’t think function ng vice president [ang mag-audit.] Hindi kasama sa powers and function ng vice president ang mag-audit (The vice president has no power and function to audit),” the senator said.
“That power was given specifically to COA kaya kahit vice president na siya (that’s why even if he is already vice president) I don’t think he can do that,” she added.
The senator is the daughter of former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay.
In a taped speech aired late Thursday, Duterte, in his latest rant against COA, said he wonders who looks into the finances of the agency.
President Rodrigo Duterte (FILE photo / MALACAÑANG PHOTO)
“Sinong nag-o-audit ng COA? May I ask that question?… Somebody should do it. I will do that if I become vice president. Ako na lang din ang mag-audit sa lahat ng gobyerno. Lahat. Pati ‘yung akin. Mag-umpisa ako sa akin,” Duterte said.
(Who audits COA? May I ask that question?… Somebody should do it. I will do that if I become vice president. I will also audit all government agencies. All. Including mine. I will start with my office.)
Before this, Duterte had previously said that COA should stop flagging government transactions and publishing its report as it would taint agencies with “corruption by perception.”
The President made these remarks after COA found deficiencies, and flagged the Department of Health’s handling of itsP67.32 billion fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.