SC Justice grills COA over failure to check ‘pork’ abuses

COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Considering that the abuse in the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel has been going on for a very long time, where has been COA (Commission on Audit) all along?

Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro asked this question to COA chief Grace Pulido-Tan.

Tan said she wished she could give an answer but she cannot. Tan has been appointed head of COA only on April 2011.

De Castro reminded Tan that COA officials have their own constitutional duty.

The COA, Tan said, is no longer undertaking any special audit for 2010 and onward.

“What I did as head was to instruct our auditors in all agencies of government a regular audit per year that they should look into PDAF funds. We have released reports on an agency basis where we raised certain findings regarding the use of PDAF,” Tan said.

The high court required Tan to appear during Tuesday’s oral argument as a resource person.