A HOUSE prosecutor did not mince words Tuesday, calling it “audacious” for officials of the Office of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and the Department of Education to allegedly seek softer audit action in what he described as an “irregular” attempt to influence the Commission on Audit (COA).
House prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list said the officials had no place asking COA to issue an “audit query” instead of an Audit Observation Memorandum, or AOM, if deficiencies were found in the agencies’ confidential fund submissions.
“Medyo makapal ang mukha ng mga involved doon sa OVP at Department of Education to even ask an audit query from the Commission on Audit,” Ridon said at a press conference after the Senate impeachment trial.
He said COA alone has the authority to decide what audit document to issue to a government agency.
“It is not subject to a request. It is not subject to a favor by any other agency,” Ridon said.
He added that an audited office must accept the findings and actions imposed by COA rather than seek more favorable treatment.
“Wala po sa lugar para magkaroon ng pagpupulong at makiusap at magsabi na imbes na AOM ang i-issue, audit query na lang po ang i-issue,” he said.
During the trial, state auditor Roderick Wamil testified that OVP Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez and Atty. Michael Poa, then DepEd chief of staff and spokesperson, met with COA officials in September 2023.
Poa is now a member of Duterte’s defense team.
Also present were COA Assistant Commissioner and Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) head Nilda Plaras and audit team head Gloria Camora.
Wamil said Lopez and Poa asked about the liquidation process and the supporting documents required for the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd.
They were referred to Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which governs the release, use and audit of confidential and intelligence funds.
Wamil said Plaras explained that COA would issue an AOM if auditors found deficiencies.
According to Wamil, Lopez and Poa then asked whether an audit query could be issued instead.
Ridon characterized the request as an attempt to influence COA into giving the agencies what he called a mere “slap on the wrist.”
“They tried to influence the agency. Instead of issuing an Audit Observation Memorandum for both the OVP and the Department of Education, they wanted a slap on the wrist, an audit query memorandum lang po,” he said.
Ridon said the request indicated that the officials anticipated formal audit findings and sought a less consequential response.
“They knew that an audit observation was forthcoming. ‘Pero let’s have a meeting, baka pwede naman, audit query na lang,’” he said.
Wamil testified that he was unfamiliar with an audit query because it was not among the audit actions provided under the joint circular.
He said ICFAO rejected the request and later issued AOMs after finding deficiencies in the agencies’ confidential fund submissions.
Ridon said the meeting itself was improper.
“The meeting itself is actually irregular. It was improper. It should not have happened,” he said.
Wamil testified that both agencies failed to submit documentary evidence supporting several confidential fund payments.
He also identified expenses outside the authorized uses of confidential funds and reward payments that lacked proof of successful information-gathering or surveillance activities.
The audit covered P612.5 million in confidential funds, including P500 million released to the OVP and P112.5 million received by DepEd while Duterte concurrently served as Education secretary.
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