Bishop hails Heidi Mendoza’s appointment to COA

MANILA, Philippines—A Catholic bishop on Friday welcomed the appointment of whistle-blower Heidi Mendoza as a Commission on Audit commissioner but expressed hope that she won’t be overpowered by the bureaucracy.

“We are glad that we have someone in the government whom we can trust, but we also have to look at who are the people she is working with,” said Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo in an interview with reporters.

He also hoped that Malacañang’s move to appoint Mendoza was not mere a “propaganda tactic” to boost its public rating.

“On the one hand, the government has shown its readiness to get people who can lead the nation to the righteous path with Mendoza’s appointment but on the other hand, it might just be a tactic,” said Pabillo.

He also advised people like Mendoza to carefully discern such offers to ensure that they will be able to truly serve the country.

President Benigno Aquino III announced Mendoza’s appointment on Monday. Mendoza testified in the plunder trial of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia in 2007 and later exposed the controversial plea bargain that state prosecutors had entered into with Garcia over the plunder case at the Sandiganbayan.