COA goes after its ex-chair

The Commission on Audit. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Even a former commission chair has not been been spared from the Commission on Audit’s dogged pursuit of disauthorized salaries and benefits.

In a recent decision, the commission ordered its former chair, Reynaldo Villar, to refund the government P2,268,798.59, consisting of P72,399.49 in salary overpayments and P2,196,459.10 in retirement benefits overpayments.

The COA Commission Proper, composed of chair Grace Pulido-Tan and commissioners Heidi Mendoza and Rowena Guanzon, based its decision on a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that declared Villar’s appointment as COA chair unconstitutional.

The ruling was issued in response to a query from the director of the COA accounting, planning, finance and management sector to the Commission Proper concerning the effect of the high court ruling on Villar’s appointment as COA chair.

Villar was appointed as ad interim COA commissioner on Feb. 2, 2004, and was supposed to serve a full seven-year term expiring on Feb. 2, 2011.

On April 15, 2008, he was nominated as COA chair for a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2011, and confirmed by the congressional Commission on Appointments the following June.

In April 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that Villar’s appointment was unconstitutional because the COA chair and commissioners were supposed to serve full seven-year terms.