On February 2001, Guillermo N. Carague assumed the chairman of the Commission
on Audit for a seven year term. Through these seven years, we witnessed COA’s
progress as an institution guided by his vision and made possible by his
steadfast leadership.
Now, the years have flown past and flown so fast that we are, yet again, at a
time of remembrance. And today we acknowledge a man COA shall definitely not
forget.
GEM of the Caragues: Tarlac’s Son
Guillermo Narciso Carague was born to Tomas and Praxedes on August 10, 1939
in Tarlac, Tarlac.
As a child, Gem has always been encouraged by his parents to be the best.
Thus, it was no surprise that when the time came, he graduated as class
valedictorian from St. John Bosco Academy in Tarlac. He then went to Manila to
further his studies, obtained a commerce degree from the University of the East
and became a Certified Public Accountant. While working, he completed
his law
degree at the Ateneo de Manila University. As a CPA-lawyer, he worked at Sycip, Gorres,
Velayo and Company, rising from the ranks until he became partner in 1979.
While in SGV, he handled various consultancy engage-ments for the government,
some private companies, as well as multinational agencies like the World Bank
and the Asian Development Bank, both in the Philippines and in other countries.
His professional experience covers specialized areas such as project
development, strategic and long-term planning, management information systems,
and personnel benefit programs, just to name a few.
On top of all these, he also completed the management Development Program at
the Asian Institute of Management and the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford
University in California USA.
GEM Discovered: The Public Years
After the EDSA Revolution, Atty. Carague was tapped by then President Corazon
Aquino, initially, as Undersecretary of the Department of Budget and Management.
And having performed beyond expectation, he was elevated to Secretary of DBM in
a short span of time. As an affirmation of his good public record, he continued
on as a member of the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and of
the Central Bank Board of Liquidators under the administration of President
Fidel Ramos.
Ever since, he served the government under various capacities from which he
acquired invaluable experience. He was a Board Member of the National and
Economic Development Authority of NEDA, the Chairman of the Mount Pinatubo
Rehabilitation task Force, a Presidential Cabinet Officer for Regional
Development for Region III, and Chairmen of the Board for the Technology and
Livelihood and Resource Center. Not only that. He also served as chairman and
director of various government corporations, councils and interagency
committees.
All these accomplishments undoubtedly set him apart and led him to be singled
out for the position of COA Chairman when the opportunity came. Thus, on
February 2001, Guillermo N. Carague was officially named as the new Chairman of
the Commission on Audit.
COA’s GEM: A Shining Example of Leadership and Service
Chairman Carague caught the Commission at an interesting point in its
history. Having just celebrated its centennial as an institution, the
Commission, although performing its functions more than adequately was by now in
serious need of change, not only to keep up with the demands of public service,
but also to stay ahead in the world of auditing.
Recognizing and accepting the challenge, the entire tenure of Chairman
Carague was visibly marked by activity– paradigm shifts, system refinements,
external upgrading, and international restructuring.
As Chairman, he also revolutionized the reporting function of the institution
with the introduction of a single, unified and integrated audit report for each
government agency.
Similarly, he instituted much needed reforms in the government’s accounting
system established around fifty years ago. With him at the helm, the New
Government Accounting System was crafted and developed from the minds and
experience of COA’s seasoned auditors. Modified accrual-based and following
international accounting standards, the NGAS is a simplified set of accounting
concepts, guidelines and procedures.
