Wanted: 2,000 auditors of public funds

LINGAYEN, Philippines – The country needs at least 2,000 new accountants to help audit and protect public funds, according to Commissioner Jose Fabia of the Commission on Audit (COA).

“We need accountants to help protect the revenues and resources of the government,” Fabia said during the 35th anniversary celebration of the Pangasinan State University (PSU) on Wednesday.

 A report from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) quoted Fabia as saying that on the average, 60 percent of COA employees belong to the 50 to 65 age bracket, and the agency lacks manpower to audit the Priority Development Assistance Fund and Internal Revenue Allotment given to local government units.

The COA may need as many as 8,000 accountants in the years to come.

“COA is an institution that can be used to do good, but it can also be used to do wicked things, if not properly safeguarded,” Fabia said.

He encouraged PSU president Victoriano Estira to offer accountancy courses and persuade talented people from PSU to join COA.

“Even if we aim to excel in exams, it’s important to produce people with conscience because at the end of the day, character will define a person’s success,” he said.

The COA chief, a lawyer by profession, is a former mayor of Binmaley town and former director general of PIA.