Proud and jubilant COA officials and employee of the Commission on Audit gave Chairman Guillermo N. Carague a hero’s welcome on November 9, 2001 following his unanimous election by the United Nations General Assembly as member of the powerful UN Board of Auditors.

Chairman Carague, who now sits in the board as its Chairman, was elected by acclamation at the meeting of the UN Fifth Committee on November 2, 2001, during the 56th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. His candidature was unopposed.

Mr. Carague’s new UNBOA mandate covers a six-year term which begins on July 1, 2002 and will last until June 30, 2008.

Returning to COA on Friday (Nov. 9, 2001) Mr. Carague was given a tumultuous welcome by wildly cheering COAns led by Commissioner Raul C. Flores, COA Assistant Commissioners and Directors.

Streamers hailed Chairman Carague’s UN victory saying “Mabuhay and Congratulations! “We’re very proud of you, Sir!”

The COA officials joined the rank-and-file employees led by the group from the Planning and Financial Management Office in singing “Congratulations” to their Chairman. The COA Choir sang the COA Hymn and the big crowd joined the singing. At this juncture, their solidarity with the Commission on Audit as the country’s supreme institution and their pride as COAns were immediately felt.

The crowd shouted in jubilation and applauded thunderously as COA PIO Chief Johnny Recio who emceed the affair, read the quoted comments of Ambassadors of UN member countries and other United Nations personalities who hailed the Carague victory as a recognition of his impressive credentials, including his expertise in auditing, accountancy and financial management.

The personalities also credited the expertise and commendable performance of COA auditors involved in the audit of UN accounts, for RP’s unopposed victory.

Visibly touched by the spontaneous merriment and outpouring of pride and jubilation over his UN feat, Chairman Carague thanked his colleagues and all the other officials and employees present for the warm welcome and felicitations.

Again displaying the humility he is widely known for, Chairman Carague said the UN victory is attributable not so much to his credentials and qualifications, as to the good performance of COA auditors and all others involved in the UN audit.

He said his new six year term at the UNBOA gives COA and the Philippines the chance to produce more world-class auditors and expressed high hopes that all COAns will continue to work together in preserving the high international status of audit competence and expertise that the Philippines, COA and COA auditors now enjoy.

He said with the new UN mandate, COA will further intensify the special training of COA auditors to be sent on audit assignments to the UN.

The Chairman took the opportunity to discuss with the big COA crowd the New Government Accounting System (NGAS) which he said is now a done thing as far as conceptualization and redesign are concerned.

“We finished it (NGAS) in four months and it is now being printed,” the Chairman said, adding that the system is now also being piloted in COA and some other national offices and some local government units.

He said we now have a new government accounting system which was produced out of the talent, dedication and hard work of COAns who helped him do the job.

“I am proud to tell you that we did not have to spend millions of pesos for foreign consultancy services in formulating the new government accounting system. The NGAS is a product of the talent, dedication and hard work of COAns,” he said to the cheers and applause of the appreciative crowd.

He said the computerization of the NGAS is in progress and is also being done without spending millions of dollars in foreign consultancy services.

The chairman said some 25 computer experts from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines have been hired to assist in the NGAS computerization job.

At the end of the victory program, Chairman Carague allayed the apprehensions of COAns that there will be none of the benefits traditionally given at about this time of the year.

He asked PFMO Director Lourdes Dimapilis to announce the grant of the benefit the crowd was expecting. She did and pandemonium broke loose.

The crowd then gathered around Chairman Carague, congratulated him for his UN victory, and thanked him for the forthcoming benefit. 

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