President Rodrigo Duterte said he will audit the Commission on Audit—as well as his own office in the Office of the Vice President—if he will be elected as Vice President in the 2022 elections.
During his taped speech aired late Thursday, Duterte asked chief presidential counsel Salvador Panelo who audits the COA, which recently flagged several government agencies over the spending of their funds.
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When Panelo said no one, Duterte responded: “Somebody should do it. I will do that if I become vice president. Ako na lang din ang mag-audit sa lahat ng gobyerno. Lahat. Pati yung akin. Mag-umpisa ako sa akin.”
Duterte said he was a “victim” of COA, saying that the commission’s reports have resulted in charges against him that even reached the Supreme Court.
“Kaya sabi ko nga sayo, bakit ganito ang salita ko, dahil nga biktima ako sa inyo. Yan ang problema dyan. From your reports, nagkakaso ako, dumating ako ng Supreme Court,” Duterte said.
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The President then urged the COA to give agencies an “elbow room” to act on their recommendations, citing the struggles faced by agencies amid the pandemic.
Duterte made the remark after his party, PDP-Laban, announced that he has accepted the nomination for him to be a vice presidential candidate in next year’s elections. (NM)
