Message of COA Chairperson Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan for COA personnel

18 April 2011

My dear fellow Commissioners and Auditors,
Administrative and Support Staff, Friends:

Good morning. Thank you very much for your warm welcome.
Today marks the beginning of an entirely new chapter of my life, one that
never crossed my mind until that fateful day about a month ago today
when I received a totally unexpected call. I had served government
before, and I thought that I had “given back,” so to speak. After the brief
stint, I chose to slip into a rather comfortable life doing what I missed
while I was in active law practice, namely, spending more and better
quality time with my children and involving myself in various socio-religious
work and civil society groups, while doing consultancies in
between. It was the most quiet, relaxed and practically stress-free six
years of my adult life, one that I thought was mine to keep forever.
But God has other plans, and here I am.
Be assured that I accepted this position for no other reason than my
conviction that this is God’s will for me at this time of my life. I have
no desire for power, position, fame and riches. I am here only to do my
bit of bringing to our countrymen the COA that out Constitution has
meant it to be, and I will discharge my responsibilities with the highest
degree of professionalism, integrity and competence. I assume this solemn task for God
and country, and I ask for nothing from you other than your support and cooperation in
delivering to our people their constitutionally mandated right to full and proper
accounting of public funds which, after all, is theirs, yours and mine.
In the pursuit of this task, we will be relentless and bold. We shall not be daunted nor
shall we be cowed by any force that will seduce us to silence or any suppression of the
truth. These are opportune times, when COA has leaped into the consciousness of our
people and showed them the immense responsibility it carries to hold public servants
accountable, thanks to the courage and immeasurable capacity for self sacrifice of
Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, and all the other valiant men and women of the
Commission who have put God and Country above all. We cannot, and should not, falter
now. In the words of Suetonius in Deified Julius, “The die is cast,” and so “let us march
on, and go wherever the tokens of the gods and the provocations of our enemies call us.”
We will therefore do all that is incumbent upon us, and exercise them within the
constitutional and legal powers vested in the Commission. We will all revisit our
mandate and attune ourselves to it again, lest we have forgotten. We will evaluate our
organizational structure and management and business processes and undertake all
necessary reforms to institute best practice for efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out
our tasks and strengthening our independence.
In this regard, I will count on the
support specially of Commissioner
Espino, our “man of action,” who
has been your anchor and guide for
the last so many years. We will
continuously upgrade our
capabilities and build capacity,
specially in the areas of forensic
accounting, fraud audit, and
properly documenting our findings
so they will stand in the courts of
law. We will engage citizen
participation and keep them
informed of the workings of the
Commission within the bounds of due process and confidentiality requirements. Most of
all, we will fastidiously work on ourselves and strive to grow each day in
professionalism, patriotism and integrity.
The task ahead is certainly not for the fainthearted, but let us all take comfort in ourhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Lord’s promise that whom He calls, He will anoint and equip for battle.
Ladies and gentlemen of the COA, we have all been called; it is no accident of
circumstance that you have all chosen to serve in this institution. Let this be our highest
reward and constant source of strength. May we not forget that we are but pilgrims on
this earth and that we will pass this way only once, so whatever good we can do, let us do
it now. Fame, power and fortune will surely pass, but the legacy of an honest and
competent public service will live forever.
Again, my sincerest thanks for your warm welcome, and for this singular privilege of
leading the COA at these crucial times of our country’s history. Now, the real task
begins.

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