COA watching politicians’ spending

Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan has instructed state auditors assigned to local government units to be on the lookout for ghost employees, fund transfers and the spending of public funds by candidates occupying local positions ahead of the 2013 elections.

In an interview, Tan said the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more popularly referred to as the “pork barrel,” could be susceptible to abuse, particularly when there is a calamity.

She said there were audit techniques that could be used to differentiate public from private funds.

Tan said one of the problem areas in auditing was the delay in the turnover of documents by government agencies.

Under the rules, government agencies are supposed to turn over to state auditors vouchers, receipts, contracts and other necessary papers within 15 days from the date of transaction, she said.

“But it never happens (because) for one reason or another, they cannot give them. For example, the financial statement of 2011, they will only give by June, July or August (2012). Under the law that’s supposed to be within 30 days from the close of the year,” Tan said.

“You would be surprised that there are many of them. In fact, most of them are like that. I’m not sure if there is one agency that is really compliant. There’s always a timeline and we understand that we know how difficult a transaction is,” she said.

Another cause for concern, she said, is the record-keeping of government agencies. She said some accounting staff were simply not too eager to do their job with dispatch. Cynthia D. Balana