It is unfortunate for local officials seeking reelection this May 2025 that the Commission on Audit released its Annual Audit Reports for CY 2023 only this January 2025.
Actually, copies of the audit report were already in possession of the local chief executive as well as the Sanggunian by mid-year of 2024 but naturally they are not expected to disclose their contents to their constituents, especially if the significant findings are adverse or damaging.
The reports are usually posted on the COA website as early as July of each year but the House of Representatives, that legislative body composed mostly of money-eating reptiles in barongs, thought it best for the past two years to require the COA to verify the actions of the audited LGU or government agency on the audit recommendations before publishing the reports.
Perhaps, the honorable representatives are just protecting their close family members who are either governors or mayors in their respective localities from being charged for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
You see, by delaying the publication of the reports to as late as January 2025, any administrative or criminal complaint to be filed against sitting public officials would meet a roadblock: the prohibition imposed by the Omnibus Election Code against the suspension of local government officials, without prior approval from the Comelec, during the election period from January 12 to June 11, 2025.
But the delay also had an unintended side effect: the audit reports’ release during the election period meant the any irregularity found by the COA would be eagerly lapped up not only by the voting public but also the reelectionists’ opponents.
Had they been issued six months earlier as practiced, the issues therein would have been old news by the time the campaign period begins.
Last week, someone identified with the group of former Vice Governor Vincent Villaluna bought up the remaining 100 or so copies of the Tribune issue that headlined the COA findings on the Bagamanoc LGU’s transactions for 2023.
It is presumed that by now the copies are already circulating in the outlying barangays of the northern town to aid in the upcoming battle of the former mayor against the incumbent, Mayor Odilon Pascua.
A previous issue also carried the COA’s common finding of unliquidated cash advances of officials and employees of several towns, including Pandan which had the largest amount.
To the credit of the administration of Mayor Raul Tabirara, it quickly issued a clarification to its constituents that most of the P2.2 million cash advances reported for 2023 had already been liquidated and that the P625,274.52 in prior years’ cash advances belonged largely to the previous administration of former Mayor Honesto Tabligan II.
While anyone is free to use the COA Annual Audit Report findings to whatever purpose, local officials should take the recommendations of the government watchdog by heart and implement the needed reforms as well as file appropriate charges against those responsible for the wanton waste of scarce public funds.
The media or the COA for that matter cannot be faulted for the publication of the audit findings being utilized as propaganda by political rivals of sitting chief executives.
If the phrase “you are what you eat” refers to the eating habits of persons impacting their health and wellbeing, then “you are what you do” can be well interpreted to mean that public officials who do well would be seen as deserving of reelection by their constituents.