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Trillanes seeks review of COA rules for possible overhaul


Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has filed a resolution seeking a review of the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA) in light of the supposed involvement of some of its personnel in the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Senate Resolution 390, which was filed late Monday, directs the Senate committee on finance and other appropriate committees to review and revisit existing auditing laws, rules, and regulations as well as the practices and procedures of COA. Trillanes said he filed the measure in light of the revelation by former AFP budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa that a former COA commissioner and a former resident auditor with the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP) received payoffs from military officials in exchange for their cooperation. During a recent Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Rabusa claimed that Divina Cabrera, a former resident auditor with the ISAFP, sought his help in destroying documents that proved how funds for AFP personnel services were spent for other purposes through fund conversion. Cabrera denied the allegation, although she admitted knowing the practice of fund conversion. She also said there was nothing irregular in the ISAFP book of accounts. Cabrera was resident auditor of the ISAFP from 1991 to 2005, which Trillanes said was a clear violation of COA’s rules and regulations. “This is highly irregular and anomalous because it clearly violated COA’s own Resolution No. 87-6 on 2 November 1987, which set forth the limit of stay of their auditors in a particular agency to a maximum of three years only," he said in a statement on Tuesday. In 2010, Trillanes said that 21 auditors were either dismissed or suspended due to alleged irregularities in the performance of duties, while 46 more had pending cases with the COA chairman’s office. In 2009, 26 state auditors were also either dismissed or suspended while 37 auditors had pending cases. Citing these data, the lawmaker said there is a need to strengthen the practices and procedures within COA and address the “obvious gaps" by crafting a new law. “COA’s mandate is to manage, utilize and safeguard government resources from illegal or improper disposition, with a view of ensuring efficiency, economy and effectiveness in the operations of the government," he said. - KBK, GMA News

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