COA to put up citizens’ desk

QUEZON CITY, April 27 (PIA) – The new chair of the Commission on Audit is putting up a feedback mechanism system in the commission including a citizens’ desk to partner with the Filipino masses to combat graft and corrupt practices in government.

COA Chief Maria Gracia Pulido-tan said the desk’s structure is still being mapped-out, but pointed out that it will act on complaints with focus on deliverables. “This will be part of the feedback mechanism wherein yung mga sumbong ay may mangyayari (complaints will definitely find corresponding action)," she said.

The citizens’ desk will be the peoples’ platform for complaints and valuable information on how government money is being spent as well as suggestions for effective measures and actions. The chair assures that the citizens’ desk will act on these information minus the “fear of getting harassed” for “tipsters”.

Aside from this, Pulido-Tan is also focused on the problem of overstaying auditors in various offices of the government. She said, based on the existing COA rule, officials occupying the Director position and higher are given one to two years of assignment tenure, while frontliners – or ordinary auditors – are allowed to stay in their agency assignment for five to 10 years.

“We will look into this because I think there is a discrepancy in the schedule of office assignment tenure,” she said. On her first day of office, Pulido-Tan has already asked for a report on COA personnel assignment which she expects to receive next week.

With the enormous amount of work at COA, she wished time is “more than 24 hours in a day” to accomplish it. She also denied pressures, coming from forces inside or outside COA, saying, “I don’t feel pressured to perform. I give my job my best shot.”

Pulido-Tan revealed that she spent a prayerful two weeks contemplating on accepting the position. In her silent moments, she shared, she realized she is being led by God to COA to “walk her thoughts” in public service, inspite knowing that she would loose her privacy and earn less money.

“I am used with ‘daang matuwid’ in private practice. But I know I needed to walk my thoughts. And, God has showed me the way,” she said. (RJB/DBNV-PIA NCR)


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