Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc is the new Executive Vice President of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. He joined National President Atty. Randy B. Blanza along with the new PICPA officers and Board of Directors at the turn-over and induction ceremony held at the Edsa Shangri-la in Mandaluyong City on 14 June 2023.

Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy Chairman Noe G. Quiñanola served as the inducting officer.

The other key officers of PICPA are Ms. Sonia D. Segovia, Vice President (VP) for Operations; Mr. Manuel V. Mapoy, VP for Government; Dr. Edwin M. Delos Santos, Jr., VP for Education; Ms. Geraldine H. Apostol, VP for Public Practice; Mr. Dexter F. Ortega, OIC-VP for Commerce & Industry, Mr. Antonio G. Camalla, Secretary and Ms. Katerine U. Sobremonte, Treasurer.

"Unbeknownst to some, auditing is not limited to money matters. There is such a thing as environmental audit. And with the worsening challenges affecting the environment, now more than ever, environmental audit must be given focus."- COA Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc

With the worsening challenges affecting the environment, Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc emphasized the need to focus on environmental audit. In an article recently published by the Manila Bulletin entitled “Environmental audit, a must more than ever” under its PICPA Talks column, Commissioner Pondoc said that COA is actively involved in environmental audits by utilizing globally accepted processes and strategies as a member of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI)-Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA).

Formed in 1992 during the Rio Earth Summit on sustainable development, INTOSAI WGEA aims to use audit mandates and methods in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development. It provides Supreme Audit Institutions with guidance and research on accountable, rule-based, and efficient governance and highlights innovative approaches promoting participation and transparency such as the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA).

The Philippine Government Audit Service Employees Association (PhilGASEA) launched the Kadiwa pop-up store on 30 May 2023 to give Commission on Audit (COA) employees easier access to basic commodities such as rice, eggs, fruits, and vegetables at affordable prices.

The project is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) with the support of COA Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba. The various products were sourced from the Brgy. Atbu Women’s Association, Sta. Ana Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Agripreneur Farmers and Producers Association, and the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

Demonstrating its active global role in advancing audit governance and leadership, the Commission on Audit, led by Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba, presides over the Working Group on Public Debt (WGPD) Annual Meeting in Cairo, Egypt from May 8 – 10, 2023. The WGPD roots its mandate from one of the three Goal Committees of the International Organization of Supreme Institutions (INTOSAI) Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Services. As the 2nd WGPD Chair, the Commission on Audit took over the post in 2017 from Auditoria Superior de la Federaciôn, the Supreme Audit Institution of Mexico that held the Chairmanship for 25 years.

The 2023 Cairo WGPD Annual Meeting carries the theme of the Role of SAIs in Promoting Debt Transparency. Against the backdrop of the post-pandemic environment, the 41-member Working Group coming from regional organizations of AFROSAI, ARABOSAI, ASOSAI, EUROSAI, PASAI, CAROSAI, OLACEFS as well as the US GAO and experts from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the International Budget Partnership provide the core impetus in forwarding the meeting’s theme. Along with this are the lessons learned shared by the member SAIs that create the vital cogs in the refresh and refocusing of public debt management toward better transparency and accountability.