MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte in an apparent joke said that the state auditor of the Commission on Audit in Ilocos Norte should be pushed down the stairs to prevent the official from giving a report on government transactions in the aftermath of Typhoon Ompong.
"Sino'ng taga-COA dito? Ihulog mo na sa hagdan para 'di na maka-report," Duterte said Sunday during a situation briefing with his Cabinet on "Ompong" in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
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Duterte made the statement after Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, a close ally of the president, expressed that the province's most urgent need is the special home fund from the chief executive's office and the National Housing Authority as she discussed the rebuilding of structures destroyed by the typhoon.
The president's statement was met by cheering from Marcos, who complained that COA told the province it could only file for a cash advance for food of up to P15,000.
"...P15,000 po ang puwedeng cash, ayan si Mayor Gladys [Cue] po ng Currimao, P15,000 ang puwedeng i-cash advance and only for food, kahit calamity. Kaya ho nag-aaway kami. Pati yung gasolina, roofing wala lahat. Lahat bawal i-cash advance and this occurred over the weekend, which made things even more difficult," Marcos said.
The president also berated circulars issued by the state audit body.
"Maniwala ka diyan COA na 'yan. You know you just do it by circular and expect everybody to obey. Mga circular... ano'ng pakialam ko? Inyo 'yan," Duterte said.
In a later part of the speech, Duterte again slammed and cursed at COA circulars.
"Kaya yan circular circular... 'di mo malaman circular nila ano pakialam ko [sa] p***** i** circular mo. Kaya nga circular lang yan e. Make it a law or a regulation but don't give that shit of a circular," he said.
Duterte also assailed the lowest bid system which he said is a purgatory that the government must correct.
"'Yung lowest bid na yan has contributed a lot of money now in the hands of people who are corrupt," he said.