The Commission on Audit (COA)’s rules governing the audit of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) should be updated and expanded to ensure greater accountability, Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.
Lacson raised the need to revisit the Joint Memorandum Circular after COA auditor Roderick Wamil said that the agency’s audit of CIF is limited to a document-based compliance audit under current guidelines.
He also raised the issue of whether auditors assigned to confidential and intelligence funds should be granted the appropriate security clearance to access classified documents needed for a thorough audit.
In Filipino:Lacson, Nanawagan na I-update at Palawakin ang COA Rules sa Pag-audit ng Confidential at Intelligence Funds
The Impeachment Court trying the case of Vice President Sara Duterte would benefit from hearing a competent witness on the handling of confidential and intelligence funds, Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.
Lacson noted that the evidence presented at Wednesday’s hearing appeared to show quarterly cash withdrawals by the Office of the Vice President, while his experience in intelligence and law enforcement suggested that such withdrawals are generally made only when operationally necessary.
“I’m wondering why neither the prosecution nor the defense is presenting a competent witness in the handling of intelligence and confidential funds. Kasi po in my previous life sa intelligence, sa law enforcement, ang natatandaan ko kasi limited ang purpose ng intelligence at confidential fund. Nagtataka ako, nakita ko ang regularity ng withdrawals ng cash parang every quarter except for Dec. 20 (I’m wondering why neither the prosecution nor the defense is presenting a competent witness in the handling of intelligence and confidential funds. In my previous life in intelligence and law enforcement, intelligence and confidential funds are limited. And I wonder why cash withdrawals are made regularly, every quarter except for Dec. 20),” he said in his manifestation.
In Filipino:Lacson: ‘Competent Witness’ sa Pangangasiwa ng Confidential at Intelligence Funds, Makabubuti sa VP Impeachment Trial
“Long and short: I NEVER espoused bypassing the authority of the Commission on Audit (COA). In fact, I CORRECTED the situation involving ‘liquidation by certification’ with the COA and the House of Representatives.”
Former Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson thus debunked repeated lies from some sectors claiming that a resolution he authored in 2011 “legalized corruption” by letting lawmakers account for expenses via certification.
Related:Ping: Kapangyarihan ng COA, Hindi ‘Liquidation by Certification’ ang Nanaig
Hinamon ni Senador Panfilo Lacson si Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III na putulin na ang pamamayagpag ng mala-sindikatong gawain sa kagawaran gaya ng nakaugalian nang labis-labis na pag-iimbak ng gamot na kadalasang nasisira lamang.
Ang hamon ni Lacson ay Duque ay kasunod ng pagsiwalat ng mambabatas sa tinatayang P2.736 bilyong halaga ng gamot na nasira na o kaya nalalapit na sa pagkasira sa poder ng DOH, kung saan nasa P2.2 bilyon ay naitala sa 2019 lamang.
“We wasted P2.736 billion in taxpayers’ money. What’s the reason for this? Why are we overstocking? Why are we buying medicines near their expiration dates? What does this tell us? I’ve been an investigator all my life. To me, this indicates that there is probably a ‘mafia’ that is well-entrenched – can’t be uprooted,” banggit ni Lacson sa pagdinig ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
“Unless the leadership of the DOH will put his foot down and do something about this, we won’t see the end of this overstocking of medicines,” dagdag ni Lacson.
