Measure would ban bonuses to state auditors by local gov’ts

It’s time to ban the giving of “honoraria” to state auditors assigned to government offices in order to preserve their independence, according to a bill filed in the House of Representatives.

Agusan del Norte Rep. Erlpe John Amante has authored a measure proposing a prohibition on the grant of additional compensation, such as allowances, honoraria and bonuses, to officers and personnel of the Commission on Audit (COA).

“We should preserve the independence, morality and integrity of the Commission on Audit and assure the people that there are concrete safeguards in government spending of public funds,” said Amante, principal author of House Bill No. 5352.

Under the proposed “Anti-Patronage in State Auditing Act of 2015,” COA auditors shall be banned from receiving additional compensation, and government offices, including government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and local government units (LGUs), from giving them.

In the explanatory note, Amante noted that although this prohibition already existed under Section 18 of Republic Act No. 6758, or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989, the Local Government Code of 1991 “created confusion” because it authorized LGUs to grant state auditors allowances.

The lawmaker cited the Supreme Court decision in Villarama v COA, dated Aug. 6, 2003, which stated that the apparent inconsistency in the two laws should be reconciled by regarding the prohibition stated in RA 6758 as an “exception or limitation” to the authority granted to local legislative bodies under the Local Government Code. DJ Yap