DOH told: Respond to audit findings instead of criticizing auditors
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health should explain the deficiencies the Commission on Audit found and not criticize state auditors for fulfilling their mandate, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines said.
DOH officials faced lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Tuesday for a legislative inquiry into COA’s report that flagged supposed P67-billion in COVID-19 response. But Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega ended up trying to shift blame to hospital’s human resource departments and to the department's regional offices.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III meanwhile bemoaned the COA report, accusing state auditors of “wrecking” his department’s reputation.
He added that it was “unfair” and “unjust” for the COA to come out with its findings when it supposedly did not give the DOH enough time to respond — state auditors however pointed out that time and even an extension was given to the department.
In a statement on Wednesday, the IBP said: “Public auditors are a key element in good governance and fulfill an invaluable public service — informing the people how their money was spent.”
The IBP added that COA has the exclusive authority to adopt rules and methods for “prevention and disallowance of irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant or unconscionable expenditures.”
The national association of lawyers also stressed that COA enacts its Constitutional duty when it issues a report, as it is mandated to track the use of funds and resources.
“The COA’s report by itself bears no malice and is actually based on the government’s own records, or the lack of it. Whatever ‘taint’ or ‘perception’ of corruption that arises from a COA report is not the fault of editors who are simply doing their sworn function,” it said.
“We submit that rather than to criticize the COA and its auditors, the Department of Health should instead cooperate with them and explain the ‘deficiencies’ and submit documentation or supporting papers to explain its side,” the IBP added.
Amid a fresh wave of controversies against Duque and the DOH, President Rodrigo Duterte again stood by his health secretary and instead said state auditors must stop publishing their initial findings that “condemn” agencies.
“You make a report. Do not flag and do not publish it because it will condemn the agency of the person that you are flagging. The flagging is spelled f-l-a-g-g-e-d. What you are doing is f-l-o-g-g-i-n-g. Do not just flag. And then no one gets jailed, nothing happens. And yet you know that when you flag, there is already a taint of corruption by perception,” the president said in a pre-recorded address.
Health officials are facing a separate probe at the Senate on Wednesday, where lawmakers had called for Duque’s suspension.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice-led Task Force against Corruption and the Office of the Ombudsman are holding off their own investigations, saying they would let the DOH respond to the COA’s findings first.
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