Ombudsman probes COA exec over flood control link
The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday confirmed that it was conducting a fact-finding investigation into Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana, following allegations that his wife was an active contractor in government projects.
During the plenary deliberations into the agency’s proposed P6.2-billion budget for 2026, sponsoring lawmaker and Quezon Rep. Keith Micah Tan confirmed that the body was looking to Lipana’s case.
According to earlier media reports, Lipana’s wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, serves as president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group, a company based in Pasig City.
During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing last Tuesday, former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara said Commissioner Lipana had asked for a list of projects in Bulacan in 2022 and has managed to have inserted at least P1.4 billion worth of projects, presumably for his wife’s firm, in Bulacan’s first district in the next three years.
A review of the projects in Bulacan showed that Olympus had at least 11 projects in the district worth P1.026 billion.
Impeachable offense
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said this could constitute an impeachable offense for Lipana, who was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2022 and whose term is set to expire in 2027.
“We should perhaps refer the matter of Commissioner Lipana’s involvement based on the testimony of Engineer Alcantara to the Committee on Justice because this looks like an impeachable offense,” said Pangilinan, chair of the committee on justice and human rights.
“Mr. Chairman, I understand he was an incumbent commissioner of the Commission on Audit. Is that right? A COA commissioner who is peddling flood control projects in your district of Bulacan. Is that right?” the senator asked Alcantara during the hearing. “Because you are being audited by COA, right? How can there be a truthful audit if a project is being asked from you?”
Poor track record
The revelation comes as the Ombudsman faces mounting criticism for its handling of corruption scandals, including the alleged multibillion-peso flood control scam.
During the interpellation at the House, ACT Teachers party list Rep. Antonio Tinio grilled the agency over its request for P51.4 million in confidential funds for 2026, questioning the agency’s track record in curbing corruption.
The proposed allocation was intended to support “discreet fact-finding investigations and lifestyle checks” of government officials, Tan said.
Tinio pointed out that the Ombudsman has already received more than P15 billion for anticorruption programs, lifestyle checks, and enforcement measures since 2018.
Despite this, he added, suspects in high-profile scandals such as the alleged multibillion-peso flood control scam in the Department of Public Works and Highways continue to evade prosecution. —WITH A REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS
