After seemingly lying low for what feels like a long time, it looks like the Commission on Audit has made a comeback, as state auditors have called out the Department of Education on several deficiencies in its expenditures for 2023, the last full year it was under Vice President Sara Duterte.
The COA flagged P12.3 billion worth of disallowances and suspensions from the 2023 DepEd budget of P710.6 billion. Of the amount, it issued notices of suspension on P10.1 billion, notices of disallowance on P2.2 billion, and notices of charges on P7.38 million due to DepEd’s “noncompliance with existing laws and regulations.”
DepEd, now under Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara, has clarified that the COA report on the agency was still subject for compliance, and efforts are underway to do so at the soonest possible time.
Dexter Galban, DepEd assistant secretary for operations, noted that the consolidated annual audit report (CAAR) that was provided to them by state auditors was still “open,” which means they are still required to submit a “management response” through an accomplished Agency Action Plan and Status of Implementation on the issues raised by COA.
The Vice President, who resigned as DepEd head in July, has yet to release a statement responding to COA’s findings, but she is facing mounting pressure from lawmakers from the House of Representatives, who demand that she address the damning findings, instead of “diverting attention with baseless accusations” on the lower chamber’s partisanship.
Duterte, who was the running mate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2020 elections, where they campaigned under the amorphous platform of “unity.” It was a campaign promise that they unfortunately failed to deliver on, highlighted by the former’s resignation from the latter’s cabinet after just a couple of years of trying to work together.
Damning COA reports against high officials have become rare in recent years, when a climate of fear had a chilling effect on government agencies that were supposed to promote good governance and accountability. The COA calling out the DepEd for deficiencies in expenditures in 2023 is hopefully a sign that it has rediscovered its spine, and hopefully, it will perform its mandate and audit all government agencies and offices, without fear or favor, and not just target those who have fallen out of favor with the administration.*
