Is this another one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s jokes? Because it’s really getting old.
The Philippine president yesterday called for the abduction and torture of Commission on Audit (COA) officials in a speech, claiming that they get in the way of the government’s job.
According to its official website, the COA is an agency that aims to ensure accountability for public resources and promote transparency among government officials. It serves as a watchdog by auditing the transactions of all government offices.
Sounds like lofty objectives, but Duterte is having none of it, judging by the colorful language he used in his speech. He was quoted by Rappler as saying in a mix of Filipino and English: “Ah, f*ck that COA. Damn that COA, every time they find something wrong. What’s wrong with this COA? Let’s kidnap COA [officials], let’s torture them, f*ck it.”
What exactly was he annoyed about?
He was quoted by GMA News as saying: “Who wants to get jailed [for corruption]? All they do is make things hard. That’s what I don’t like — when they make things hard [for the government]…They shouldn’t make obstacles [for the government.]”
The president made the violent call yesterday during the Barangay (Village) Summit on Peace and Order in Pasay City, a gathering of local government officials, reported The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Duterte has never hidden his disdain for the COA. In September, Duterte said that a COA official should be pushed down the stairs after his ally, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, told him that the province’s auditor said they could only access calamity funds of up to PHP15,000 (US$286), the Philippine Star reported.
Marcos claimed that the money was going to be used for purchasing food for victims affected by typhoon Mangkhut, which devasted the northern parts of Luzon.
After his pushing-down-the-stairs comment, Duterte also said that government officials should make purchases even if they defy the COA’s rules, Rappler reported.
Duterte’s scathing remarks last year prompted former COA commissioner and now United Nations undersecretary Heidi Mendoza to defend the agency from the president.
She wrote in a Facebook post: “We are a long-standing, dignified institution whose men and women spent long hours working for its flag and our people. Some of our own even laid their lives defending and protecting public coffers.”
This time, Mendoza again defended the agency from Duterte.
She wrote in Filipino on her Facebook account today: “It’s clear what an auditor’s responsibilities are. We never want to interfere [in government], make transactions’ progress slower, and most especially we’re not doing this to earn money. Our job is to correct, improve, and adjust how government funds are being used in a manner that encourages accountability [among officials] and one that’s open to public criticism.”
The COA is known for unearthing anomalous transactions in the government.
Last year, it reported about the controversial multi-million peso ad deal between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Bitag Media Unlimited Incorporated. The DOT was then headed by Wanda Teo, the sister of Bitag Media’s founder Ben Tulfo.
The COA’s report led to an investigation from the Ombudsman, and Teo was fired by Duterte.
