Commission on Audit decries budget ‘wipeout’

The Commission on Audit, an independent institution that conducts financial oversight over government agencies, had asked for a capital outlay of P838 million to construct satellite offices, build a database and make its work more efficient. But to the commission’s dismay, the Department of Budget and Management’s proposed 2015 budget for COA cut down the request to P405,000. It’s practically a “wipeout,” COA head Grace Pulido Tan told a budget hearing in Congress. While the auditors are expected to be independent, the lack of COA offices in provinces has forced them to hold office in government agencies they are auditing themselves. This situation “erodes independence somehow,” Tan said.

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