Lip service?

The administration should not ignore the “adverse” Commission on Audit findings on government agencies. This was the statement by Senator Panfilo Lacson on the latest findings of COA on the Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and the Presidential Communications Operations Office. I am sure all these findings are more than “a whiff of corruption” that President Duterte strongly emphasized he would deal with right away. If you combine the value of all the questionable transactions, it could run into more than a billion pesos. Definitely more than a whiff. But we really have not heard anything from the president himself on COA’s findings. There are no angry speeches. There are no threats on those fired from government to keep quiet, otherwise much more will be disclosed. Then you realize these are the agencies in which those close to the president are employed, especially in the PCOO.

Thirty-eight million pesos worth of deficient expenditures from last year’s ASEAN summit have been flagged by COA. One example is the leasing of IT equipment that even cost more than just buying them. The government would have taken possession of the different laptops and cameras after the summit, instead of just returning them. According to the PCOO, they did not have a budget for capital outlay, so they just rented. But is the money they used to rent the equipment different from the money used to buy things? And we are not talking about a small amount. The government would have saved nearly a million pesos if they just bought the equipment.

COA also criticized PCOO’s splitting of contracts, in order to avoid having to undergo public bidding. In other words, contracts less than a million pesos went out to the suppliers. Some suppliers were given more than one contract. Suppliers of soap, power banks, T-shirts, jackets, chargers, as well as car rentals for the use of the different VIPs. PCOO had an explanation but the COA did not accept it. Five PCOO employees are now being investigated if they violated procurement procedures as shown by COA. The agency has pledged to investigate thoroughly, and if there really is evidence of wrongdoing, they would file cases against them. But if the COA did not flag these, will the PCOO even investigate?

It seems COA has to publicly flag or call out the questionable transactions and purchases for the different agencies to take action. In the case of the gifts and benefits given to PAGCOR employees, they are asking for clarification from Office of the President only after COA questioned them.

President Duterte definitely has more than a whiff of corruption to deal with, if he so chooses to. Otherwise, it is all lip service, according to Lacson. But like I said, the PCOO just has too many friends of Duterte. And by the way, isn’t there a Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission or PACC? Why have we not heard anything from them regarding the COA reports? What function does the PACC have that COA isn’t already doing?

‘PRESIDENT DUTERTE DEfiNITELY HAS more than a whiff of corruption to deal with, if he so chooses to. Otherwise, it is all lip service.’