COA worried as it needs 384 additional auditors
The Commission on Audit (COA) has a shortage of field auditors and this could be a “cause for concern,” its assistant commissioner Lorna Cabochan told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Cabochan, during a hearing of the House committee on appropriations on the COA’s 2027 budget, said the commission still needs “almost 400” auditors.
She provided the figure in reply to Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña’s question on whether the COA’s manpower gap had already been addressed.
Cendaña cited the agency’s report last year that it had only two auditors assigned to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s First District Engineering Office of Bulacan, which has been at the center of the flood control corruption scandal.
According to Cabochan, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has restored 332 plantilla positions in July out of the 716 that were previously reduced. But this still means a shortage of 384 auditors.
When Cendaña asked whether this was a “cause for concern,” the COA official answered in the affirmative.
“Because the agencies are adding and, as of now, we are also somewhat lacking in auditors in the field,” Cabochan explained.
She also disclosed that some auditors have left the COA for higher-paying jobs or flexible working positions.
Other auditors, she added, were even considering retiring “as soon as they reach 60.”
“Although we are continuously recruiting, there is also separation through transfer to other government agencies and resignation,” Cabochan said.
Hearing this, Cendaña emphasized that the current state of manpower in the COA is “alarming,” pointing out that “it’s still lacking to this day.”
“This 2027, there is a proposed P107 billion for flood control under DPWH. If the audit is sloppy again or if the audit is insufficient or slow, we will repeat the performance in 2025,” he said. “And we already know the reason. This is the deficiency we mentioned.”
The lawmaker said the government must allot additional resources to the COA, noting that the commission is the “first line of defense” against corruption.
Zero capital outlay
Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing, committee chair, meanwhile said it was “interesting” that none of the proposed projects under the COA’s capital outlay request for next year were granted by the DBM.
The COA initially proposed a P1.18 billion budget to cover its Information Systems Strategic Plan for 2027-2029, the construction or modernization of some of its buildings, and the purchase of three vehicles, among others.
But the DBM did not approve the COA’s proposal, recommending a “zero capital outlay” for the commission through the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
In the same budget hearing on Tuesday, Suansing said the zero capital outlay “really stood out.”
When asked by Suansing whether the DBM gave an explanation, COA Assistant Commissioner Nilda Plaras answered, “There was none, your honor.”
Wish list
The Inquirer has reached out to the DBM about the matter, but it has yet to respond as of publication.
The House committee also found that the DBM did not approve even the COA’s request for a budget to purchase a vehicle for its office in the Negros Island Region.
Suansing then asked the COA to provide a “wish list” of items that were left out in the NEP that it wanted to advocate for so that Congress could consider them during deliberations on institutional amendment requests.
“Given the limited fiscal space, realistically, we would not be able to fund all. So for us to get a better sense, we request a more detailed list of all of the items under the capital outlay request with the corresponding details,” said Suansing.
The COA is seeking a P17.3 billion budget for 2027, but the DBM has recommended lowering the amount to P16.05 billion.
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