There is no such thing as “Legalized Corruption” in Congress via a concurrent resolution – much less one with my involvement, as claimed by some sectors who are either misinformed or seeking to disinform – or both.
In 2013 – during my chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Accounts – we agreed to submit ourselves to the disposition of COA, following a meeting between congressional leaders and then COA chair Grace Pulido-Tan. It must be emphasized that it is the COA that has the constitutional mandate to examine and audit.
As a background, I was tasked to file the said resolution – Concurrent Resolution No. 10 – which actually sought more accountability by justifying the liquidation of funds through the submission of receipts. Before this, lawmakers had been allowed to liquidate funds merely through certification since Congress reopened in 1987.
Concurrent Resolution No. 10, adopted in 2011, takes into account members of Congress extending immediate response and assistance to constituents outside our legislative work such as medical assistance – but is not inconsistent with Article IX-D Sec 2 (1) of the 1987 Constitution, where nothing can prevent the Commission on Audit (COA) from exercising its post-audit function.
Skip to PDF contentThus, while the Concurrent Resolution allows certification by individual legislators to disburse funds allocated to their respective offices, it does not excuse ANYONE from liquidating through official receipts and other verifiable documents, much less from being audited by the Commission on Audit – as NOBODY in government is exempted from COA audit.
For the record, throughout my years in public service, I have always been consistent in complying with all the existing COA regulations, much more with the required submission of liquidation instruments when I was in the Senate. Thus, when the COA first conducted a special audit of Congress, I was the first one who submitted the receipts and related documents.
*****