COA charts seven policy

By Rolando S. Macale

"INCREASED VIGILANCE Against Fraud, Waste and Abuse!" rung out through the walls of the Oxford Hotel convention hall as the officials, from the newly confirmed Chairman, Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners and Directors of the Commission on Audit voiced out the conference theme like a mantra when they converged at the Oxford Hotel, in Clark Field, Pampanga. After a brief yet warm welcome address by outgoing Assistant Commissioner Lourdes B. Dimapilis, the COA officials buckled down to work with Commissioner Juanito G. Espino,Jr. calling all hands on deck, declaring "we will take the road together as we mix the cement of expectations and gravel of challenges for better COA infrastructure development," and calling on every COA official to hold on to the team, for " doing what is best for the Republic and for the Commission is the ultimate motivation that sets us together and keeping us one in the pursuit of quality service."

Then with an environment scanning, Commissioner Espino walked the group through almost a decade of COA history to the current realities that challenge COA and its faithfulness to its mandates.
With his retrospect, graphs and numbers, Commissioner Espino laid out a scenario that, everything else considered, called "for us to pursue the labor and hard work …for the betterment of the service, "with an admonition that "we keep the passion to preserve the dedication and enthusiasm to help the Commission in pursuing quality public service."

Addressing the COA officials gathered in a planning conference for the first time as Chairman of the Commission, Chairman Reynaldo A. Villar expressed concern given the present state of affairs in Philippine society greatly contributing to COA’s heavy task, "the task of being the guardian of the nation’s resources is burden a little too heavy."

Notwithstanding the prospect of a backbreaking attempt to achieve the Commission’s goals and objectives, the difficult process will have to begin with one single step, namely, by laying out a seven-pronged agenda, 7 Policy Directions, to wit:

1. Risk-Based Audit Approach ( RBAA )
2. Revisiting Pre-Audit
3. Organizational Restructuring
4. Settlement of Accounts
5. Assessment of e-NGAS Implementation
6. Keeping of the General Accounts
7. Intensified Fraud Audit

Chairman Villar expressed his confidence in the support and dedication of the COA officials gathered in the conference, COA’s corporate mind, to chart with him "the right path to our destination."

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Some of these seven policies like pre-audit and organizational restructuring are already in place.