The Commission on Audit (CoA) has announced sweeping reforms to strengthen transparency and accountability in response to the flood control project anomalies that recently rocked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
During the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Monday, Oct. 13, CoA Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba said the Commission is now investigating its own ranks for possible negligence or complicity in the irregularities, while rolling out new safeguards such as mandatory geotagging for all infrastructure projects nationwide.
“Fraud auditors also look into the possible negligence or complicity of our resident auditors on the ground,” Mr. Cordoba told senators, confirming that an internal probe is under way.
He said findings from these audits are being submitted to the CoA’s Internal Affairs Office for possible sanctions, while those elevated to the Office of the Ombudsman have already resulted in the suspension of DPWH engineers implicated in ghost or nonexistent projects.
Mr. Cordoba explained that the investigation covers the DPWH–Bulacan First District Engineering Office, where resident auditors handled 11 municipalities and three cities, a workload that may have contributed to oversight lapses.
“We are looking at every layer of accountability. Those who failed to act or allowed wrongdoing to happen will be held responsible,” Mr. Cordoba said.
Mr. Cordoba also addressed questions about CoA Commissioner Mario Lipana, who was mentioned during the Senate investigation into the flood control anomalies.
He said Mr. Lipana has been on medical leave abroad since Aug. 1 and has extended his leave until Oct. 30, while the Ombudsman’s office continues its investigation.
“While the CoA has no disciplinary authority over an impeachable official, we are fully coordinating with the Office of the Ombudsman,” Mr. Cordoba said.
To prevent conflicts of interest, Mr. Cordoba said the CoA will now require all officials and personnel to declare any possible personal or financial interest related to their assignments.
At the same time, Mr. Cordoba told senators that resident auditors will now be periodically reshuffled to avoid familiarity with their assigned agencies or local offices, while fraud auditors will conduct surprise inspections to monitor compliance and detect anomalies early.
“We recognize the limitations in manpower, but we are instituting stronger oversight systems. Our fraud auditors will conduct random checks to ensure resident auditors are doing their jobs,” he said.
CoA Commissioner Douglas Michael Mallillin also revealed that the audit body is drafting a memorandum circular requiring geotagging for all infrastructure projects, not only those under DPWH but also those implemented by other agencies such as the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Health (DoH), government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government units (LGUs).
“Alam natin na ang DPWH, NIA, DoH, and not only national agencies pati mga GOCC, pati mga LGU po ay may infrastructure projects,” Mr. Mallillin said.
He explained that geotagging falsification has occurred in the past, where contractors take photos of projects but use incorrect location data.
Mr. Mallillin added that satellite-based geotagging will be used moving forward to enhance accuracy and prevent falsification.
“We will pursue criminal charges against anyone found tampering with geotags or falsifying documentation,” he told the committee.
Mr. Mallillin also said the CoA is reviewing proposals to reintroduce pre-audit procedures for agencies with weak internal controls.
“If an agency has weak internal controls, we are studying the resources required to conduct a pre-audit, especially in terms of manpower and facilities, and we will balance this with the agency’s operational speed,” Mr. Mallillin said.
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