COA may finish special audit on PS-DBM transactions by year-end

COA chairman Michael Aguinaldo. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) began its special audit on the transactions of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), its chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said Thursday.

“Actually, Mr. Chairman, the special audit has already commenced. There had been a request from us during our budget hearing in the House. We already constituted the team to look at it, but then we’ve expanded it into special audit po,” Aguinaldo said during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

“The team was originally given a period of 45 days. But in my estimation, tingin ko hindi nila matatapos ‘yun (I don’t think they can finish it) within that period. But, I think it would be reasonable to expect before year-end perhaps. Baka matapos na po sila (Maybe it will be completed),” he added.

Aguinaldo’s statement was in response to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s question on whether COA will delve deeper into the PS-DBM transactions which are involved in the controversial alleged overpricing of medical supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the start of this investigation, you said that there is no finding of overpricing, and I understood that because you just conducted your regular year-end audit and in fact you just simply said that there was failure to comply with the number of documents,” Drilon said.

“Now, you have monitored all the hearings here, is there basis now for you to conduct a deeper audit, maybe a special audit on PS-DBM transactions, so far as this concerned. Do you find basis for that?,” the senator asked Aguinaldo.

Aguinaldo likewise said that COA would consider the documents and testimonies, among others, revealed in the panel investigations.

Drilon said that they would “eagerly await” the report for them to look into it as well.

“So, we eagerly await, and hopefully you can help us in unearthing the truth in these transactions. We’ll have to [wait for] that. If you can have it earlier, baka mas mabuti (it may be better). So, we can also look at your findings when the committee prepares its report. If that is feasible,” Drilon noted.

Aguinaldo responded: “We’ll do our best. I’ll talk to the team if we need to expand the number of people involved because we’ve been looking really at all deliveries pati ‘yung sa mga (even those in) hospitals po and all to verify. At least to remove any doubt kung ano ba talaga, if there’s any issue with respect to the deliveries.”

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