President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has volunteered to audit the Commission on Audit (COA) and other government agencies if he would be elected as vice president.
In his taped address aired Thursday night, Duterte asked his chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo who looks into the finances of the COA.
"Somebody should do that. I will do that, if I become vice president. Ako na lang din ang mag-audit sa lahat ng gobyerno. Lahat. Pati 'yung akin, mag-umpisa ako sa akin," he said.
“But just tell me, I’ve been really trying to figure out in this democratic setup. Sinong o-audit ng COA? That is my question,” he added.
PANGULO ANG GAGAWA NG AUDITING?
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) August 27, 2021
Mistulang inihayag na ni Pangulong Duterte ang kanyang unang plataporma para sa 2022 Vice Presidential race. Ayon kay Pres. Duterte, kapag naihalal siya bilang bise presidente, siya na mismo ang mag-o-audit sa lahat ng ahensya. #DZRHNationwide pic.twitter.com/nF6XhW6oPX
The President has been criticizing the COA following the release of its 2020 report that drew more criticisms to the Department of Health (DOH) over the PHP 67 billion COVID-19 funds.
In the same speech, Duterte claimed he is a victim of the auditing arm's report.
“Kaya sabi ko nga sayo, bakit ganito ang salita ko, dahil nga biktima ako sa inyo. Yan ang problema dyan. From your reports, nagkakaso ako, dumating ako ng Supreme Court,” he said.
Duterte also called on COA to give agencies an "elbow room" when it comes to the liquidation of their funds due to the country's coronavirus status.
“It is not easy really to comply. We know that we should comply, there is no problem about it. But can we have just enough elbow room? Do not adopt the standards of the pre-pandemic days. We have a problem here,” Duterte said.
COA is the supreme auditing arm of the Philippine government. Under the Constitution, the agency has the power, authority, and duty to examine all accounts of the government.
Earlier, the President himself confirmed his bid for vice president in the upcoming polls.
