COA launches internal reforms amid flood control scandal

The Commission on Audit (COA) has rolled out internal reforms to prevent corruption and strengthen oversight of government infrastructure projects, following the exposure of irregularities in flood control programs in Bulacan and other provinces.

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During the agency’s budget hearing before the Senate yesterday, COA Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba said the commission is addressing manpower shortages, tightening conflict-of-interest rules and institutionalizing geotagging to improve audit tracking.

He noted that the Bulacan district engineering office (DEO) had only two auditors handling 11 municipalities, three cities and eight Land Transportation Office branches after the Department of Budget and Management removed 963 audit positions nationwide.

According to Cordoba, 21 fraud audit reports were completed, eight of which were forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman, while the rest became the basis for the administrative suspension of several personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan first DEO.