Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Reacting to the strafing of the Commission on Audit’s (COA) main office Wednesday morning by unidentified attackers, Malacañang said these gunmen will “fail” in their attempt to threaten the agency.
“To those elements who intended to use this as a threat to those people pushing for reforms, you have heard the chairman and you will fail,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press forum.
Earlier, COA chair Maria Grace Pulido-Tan assured they will not allow the shooting incident to “cow us into silence nor deter us from faithfully discharging our constitutional duty.”
Commending COA, Lacierda pointed out that heightened security measures “accorded to the commissioners of the COA” will be observed after the investigation.
“We commend the statement of Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan that they will not be deterred by the recent incident at the COA building and we commend their determination to continue with their mandate to serve the Filipino people and to continue with their audit functions,” Lacierda said.
He said: “this should not deter anyone.”
On August 16, COA revealed its special audit report on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) which involved the alleged misuse of billions of pesos by lawmakers with businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles being tagged as the brains behind what is now known as the “pork barrel” scam.
Once the investigation yields that it was just not random shooting, Lacierda said they will look into this incident with “grave concern.”
Quezon City Police Department Chief Superintendent Richard Albano said the police were already conducting an investigation.
Authorities are set to review footages of security cameras installed at the vicinity of COA, he said.
The shooting occurred 7 a.m. Wednesday at the COA main office on Commonwealth Avenue.
Albano said two slugs from an unknown firearm were recovered inside the office of COA Assistant Director Minda Planas.
Asked if the attack was intended for Planas, he said it “it’s probably not” since the pantry area was also hit.
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