Tinio: COA exec must resign since wife’s firm got gov’t contracts
Calls were made in Congress on Thursday for the immediate resignation of a Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner whose wife heads a company that bagged more than P505 million in government contracts, including two flood control projects.
During committee deliberations on the proposed 2026 COA budget, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio confronted COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba with documents showing that Commissioner Mario Lipana’s wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, is currently serving as president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group, a company based in Pasig City.
Citing documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Tinio said Olympus got nine contracts with a total cost of P326.6 million in 2025.
‘Sumbong sa Pangulo’
These were apart from two flood control projects in Bulacan worth P86.8 million and P91.7 million, which were supposedly completed in 2024, the lawmaker said.
Both projects were signed, to certify completion, by then DPWH Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara.
But they still ended up among the projects brought to the attention of President Marcos through the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.
Tinio said the Lipana company’s involvement was a clear violation of Article IX, Section 2, of the Constitution, which states no member of a constitutional commission “shall be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract with, or in any franchise or privilege granted by the Government, any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries.”
“This is a clear conflict of interest since the commissioner has financial interests. Even more so in this context where everyone is watching out for flood control projects,” Tinio said. “He must resign.”
Pressed by Tinio during the hearing, Cordoba acknowledged that “there seems to be … a potential conflict of interest.”
Warning from De Lima
Tinio said at least five of the ongoing projects had already been partially paid for by the government.
According to Tinio, Commissioner Lipana had been absent from work for months as he was undergoing medical treatment in Singapore.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima asked Cordoba to talk to Lipana upon his return, “otherwise one of us or some of us may initiate impeachment proceedings against him because it clearly falls under one of the grounds (for impeachment).”
De Lima cited betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption as possible grounds, as she also noted that Olympus won the contracts with Commissioner Lipana still serving in the state auditing body.
