Appointments body defers hearing on COA commissioner Mendoza

Heidi Mendoza: Hanging appointment

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Appointments deferred its hearing on the appointment of Heidi Mendoza as audit commissioner after some lawmakers asked to be given time to study the objections raised against her by two private individuals.

Former auditor Arturo Besana had accused Mendoza of “incompetence, arrogance and untruthfulness,” saying the official of the Commission on Audit “deviates in observing due process” when investigating and filing cases against government officials.

Lawyer Mariano Sarmiento also chided Mendoza for her role in the ongoing investigation of his client, former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, in connection with anomalies involving a condo-tel for visitors from sister cities during her term.

Besana questioned his inclusion in a report Mendoza had submitted that listed down names linked to anomalies in the disbursement of funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Besana said he had no association with former AFP comptroller, Gen. Carlos Garcia, the principal accused in the alleged malversation of military funds during the term of former President Gloria Arroyo.

Mendoza rose to national prominence after appearing in legislative hearings on the AFP anomaly that involved Garcia and other ranking generals.

Mendoza dismissed Besana’s accusations, recalling that the ex-auditor last June even gave her a copy of a book he authored, praising her and welcoming her return to the COA.

Besana, who was resident auditor of the AFP from 1995 to 1996, countered he had no idea that Mendoza, 10 days later, would recommend his inclusion among those charged along with Garcia.

Sarmiento’s testimony, on the other hand, was much shorter and provided little detail. CA constitutional commissions chairman Sen. Jinggoy Estrada later explained that his complaint was about Binay’s project.

Mendoza asked CA members to give more weight to the role of COA auditors in reconciling the allocations and actual spending of government offices.

She said auditors often faced threats and dangers in the course of their job of investigating allegations of corruption.

In Binay’s case, Mendoza added she had done the investigation fully aware that Binay is the spouse of man who could be “the next president in 2016.”

CA majority leader Tito Sotto later indicated that Reps. Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur and Rodolfo Antonino of Nueva Ecija “reserve the right to propound more questions” to Mendoza.

This prompted Estrada to defer the hearing.