New COA chief says people's participation a must to initiate reform

QUEZON CITY, April 27 (PIA) -- Newly appointed Commission of Audit (COA) chairperson Atty. Ma. Gracia M. Pulido-Tan on Wednesday said that she is seeking to institutionalize public participation to strengthen the agency's capability in enforcing accountability in government.

According to Tan, who was a guest at the Communications and Exchange Forum with members of media at the Philippine Information Agency in Quezon City, it is important to recognize the people’s role in ensuring that their taxes go to appropriate projects and programs of government in line with the Aquino administration's principle of transparency.

"We have to include everyone, everyone has a stake. Pati nga mga mamamayan gusto kong isama sa proseso, kasi COA is a constitutional body, it is the COA of the people," she said as she cited the people’s participation in the affairs of the state as enshrined in our Constitution.

As she vowed to beef up COA's capability through reforms and more effective audit and accounting systems, Tan said that part of her plan is to create citizen's desks where the public can go and file their complaints or share with COA any valuable information about any alleged anomaly in a particular government agency.

She likewise, assured would-be complainants and whistleblowers that their identities will be kept secured and protected from any form of harassment, adding that COA will promptly act on any complaint filed.

"Isa sa aking plano ay ang magtatag ng citizen's desk kung saan pwede nilang dalhin ang kanilang mga nalalaman o ang kanilang mga kahilingan na wala silang fear na hindi sila maha-harass at the same time they can expect that we can take action," she said.

Although Tan was appointed by President Aquino Monday last week, she said that she will also look and evaluate all COA resident auditors assigned in different government agencies and immediately order for a reshuffle if she finds out that an auditor has "overstayed" his length of service in an agency.

"Hindi magandang nagtatagal ang isang auditor sa ahensya," she said. (It does not bode well for the agency to have an auditor overstay in an officea) (RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)


source