The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Commission on Audit (COA) Provincial Satellite Auditing Office (PSAO) in Baybay City, Leyte was held on 15 October 2021. PSAO-Baybay is the fifth PSAO building in Eastern Visayas.

COA Regional Director Lita A. Estil-Diez and Wemia P. Seno, OIC-Supervising Auditor of Local Government Sector C- Leyte II with Mayor Jose Carlos L. Cari and Vice Mayor Ernesto C. Butawan, led the ceremony. The event was also attended by the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Baybay, COA Region VIII officials, personnel and local auditors.

COA Regional Director Lita A. Estil-Diez with Mayor Jose Carlos L. Cari, Vice Mayor Ernesto M. Butawan and OIC-Supervising Auditor Wemia P. Seno lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Provincial Satellite Auditing Office in Baybay City, Leyte.

The Commission on Audit (COA) Gender and Development Focal Point System (GFPS) held a virtual briefing on the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Pan 2019-2025, the enhanced Gender and Development (GAD) Plan, Budget, and Accomplishment Information System (GPBAIS), the status on the FY 2022 GPB of COA and other matters, via CISCO Webex application on 13 October 2021.

A total 464 COA GFPS officers and members from the Central and Regional Offices led by COA Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo, Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc and Assistant Commissioner Fortunata M. Rubico, Chairperson of the COA GFPS Technical Working Group, attended the briefing.

Opening the program, Commissioner Pondoc called attention to how women are adversely affected by the ongoing pandemic with more women losing their jobs compared to men and the prevalence of a “shadow” pandemic in which more women fall victim to various forms of violence. He emphasized COA’s commitment to the campaign to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. He also reminded participants that “we are stronger when we work together” in the achievement of shared goals.

Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo emphasized the importance of accountability and ensuring that government managers have carried out their fiscal responsibility properly and effectively as he discussed the constitutional mandate of the COA at a webinar hosted by the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) – Graduate School held on 09 October 2021 via Google Meet.

The webinar with the theme “The Commission on Audit: Ensuring the Integrity and Accountability in Government Services and Building Resiliency towards the COVID-19 Pandemic” was attended by post graduate students and professors of the NDDU.