COA not hampering gov’t work, says former state auditor

MANILA, Philippines — A former state auditor on Wednesday refuted President Rodrigo Duterte’s criticism that the Commission on Audit (COA) has been hampering government work.

“Kailan man ay hindi namin gustong manghimasok, magpabagal ng takbo ng transaksyon at lalong hindi upang makagawa ng oportunidad upang kumita (We never aim to interfere, slow down government transactions and make opportunities to earn),” ex-auditor Heidi Mendoza said in a public Facebook post.

Mendoza is now an undersecretary general at the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.

READ: IN THE KNOW: Heidi Mendoza, former state auditor

“Ang aming papel ay magbigay ng pagkakataon na maituwid, mapaganda, maiayos ang takbo ng paggamit ng pera ng bayan sa paraang may pananagutan at bukas sa pagpuna ng bawat mamamayan o lahat ng may pakialam (Our role is to give chance to correct and improve the spending of public funds in an accountable way and open to the scrutiny of the public or anyone who cares),” she said.

https://www.facebook.com/heidi.mendoza.31586/posts/10218461825516739?_rdc=1&_rdr

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to kidnap and torture state auditors for supposedly hampering government work.

READ: Duterte: Let’s just kidnap and torture COA execs

“Ah, putanginang COA yan, letse. Yung COA, every time, may mali talaga. Ano ba itong COA na ito? Mag kidnap tayo ng taga COA, lagay natin dito, torture natin dito. Tangina,” Duterte said in a speech during the Barangay Summit on Peace and Order in Pasay City, Tuesday.

(Damn that COA. Every time, there is something wrong with it. What’s with this COA? Let’s just kidnap COA [officials], put them here and torture them. Son of a bitch.)

“Puro yan pahirapan. Yan ang ayaw ko — ang pahirapan,” he added.

(All it does is make things difficult. That’s what I don’t want — making things difficult.)

The President previously ridiculed the independent body’s regulations as a “shit of a circular” and even said COA employees should be “pushed down the stairs.” /ee

READ: Lawmakers slam Duterte’s dire remark vs state auditors