Solon asks Duterte to certify pre-audit system bill as priority

Rep. Florida Robes.FILE PHOTO / Rep. Robes’ office

MANILA, Philippines — After proposing a bill seeking to create a pre-audit system to examine funds even before being released, a lawmaker is appealing to President Rodrigo Duterte to certify the bill now pending before the House of Representatives as a priority measure.

In a statement, San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes said the pre-audit system bill, which she filed in the current 18th Congress, may be the answer to prevent controversies involving the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) on various government agencies.

“If I may be allowed to make a suggestion and an appeal to our President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, to certify as urgent House Bill No. 7124 which seeks to institutionalize a pre-audit system in the disbursement of public funds in order to prevent or minimize any questions on how public funds are used,” Robes said.

Under the said bill, a pre-audit system mandates that all transactions and contracts are reviewed before public funds are released for their implementation.

“If this bill gets passed I sincerely believe that this will promote transparency and accountability in the disbursement of public funds and as it will ensure that government agencies and local government agencies have the capacity to implement the program within the allotted period,” added said.

In an earlier statement, Robes said the pre-audit system may prevent another controversy involving the use of public funds as what has hounded the Department of Health (DOH) and other government agencies and instrumentalities.

“This has affected the credibility of our officials, our institutions and the delivery of goods and services. It is the Filipino people who suffer. This bill seeks to address this by making sure that even before public funds are released, they are audited to ensure that they go to where they should go at the allotted time. Walang delay at walang nasasayang na pera ng bayan (there will be no delay and no wasted money),” Robes said.

This came after a controversy ignited between the DOH and COA when state auditors flagged “deficiencies” in the health department’s P67.32 billion COVID-19 response funds, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III then accused the COA of damaging the dignity of DOH and its personnel when it released its audit report.

The COA regularly posts all of its audit reports on its official website that is accessible to the public as part of its mission to promote transparency in government. Nowhere in its audit, however, report that flagged DOH’s pandemic fund deficiencies was it stated that the deficiencies were due to corruption.

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