Mendoza breaks into tears over claims she ‘smeared’ COA's image

Former state auditor Heidi Mendoza broke into tears at a congressional hearing on Tuesday over accusations made earlier by her colleagues that she is "besmirching" the image of the Commission on Audit (COA). During the continuation of the House committee on justice’s probe on the controversial plea bargain deal entered into by the government and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, a tearful Mendoza defended herself from statements earlier made by COA officials that she was hurting the commission’s image. “Nag-audit po ako ng tapat. I love the COA as an institution... but I am standing firm on my accusation that there are leaders in the COA that render it difficult for every honest auditor to stand on their ground," she said. She added that she was hurt when her former boss, ex-COA chairperson Guillermo Carague said he never talked to her during his term. “Para akong anak na sinabihan ng tatay na hindi siya pwedeng magsumbong. Hindi niya raw po ako kilala. Hindi raw po kami nagkausap," she said. Earlier in the hearing, Carague claimed he does not remember ever talking with Mendoza regarding supposedly anomalous transactions in the military. “We did not even speak... That was years ago, but as far as I know, I don’t remember her ever coming to my office," the former COA chief said. Carague added that he did not authorize Mendoza and her team to go further in her investigation on military funds. The inquiry on the plea bargain deal is ongoing as of posting time. In the previous hearing, Mendoza disclosed that millions of dollars from the United Nations (UN) passed through a bank account in Iloilo before reaching military coffers. While she was unable to find out who the owner of the account was, she mentioned that Garcia, accused of amassing more than P300 million in ill-gotten wealth while in military service, was from the same province. To recall, Garcia had pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of direct bribery and pleaded not guilty to plunder, a non-bailable offense. The Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court) allowed Garcia to post bail on the basis of his plea bargain agreement with special prosecutors of the Office of the Ombudsman. The Sandiganbayan's Second Division allowed Garcia to post a bail of P60,000. — LBG/KBK, GMA News