Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo was awarded by the Ateneo Professional Schools and the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. with the 2019 Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chair for Public Service and Governance, an annual award given to distinguished servant leaders for their exceptional contributions and achievements in the public and private sectors.

The awarding ceremony was held at the Ateneo Professional Schools Auditorium at Rockwell Center, Makati City on 22 February 2019 where Chairperson Aguinaldo delivered his professorial lecture “Transparency, Accountability and the Rule of Law: Boon or Bane to Government Initiatives.”

“Transparency, accountability and the rule of law are fundamental conditions of good governance in the public sector. These are in place not solely to fight against corruption but also to improve government functioning and create a positive social, political and economic climate for the populace,” said Chairperson Aguinaldo.

Chairperson Aguinaldo noted that there are instances where inconsistent or unreasonable interpretation implementation of laws and rules become constraints to government programs, hindering officials in decision making and creating a “chilling effect” on government officials.

“Both laws and rules and government action are just parts of the process of achieving the objectives of the promotion of the common good, the conservation and development of national patrimony and securing the blessings of independence and democracy. Consequently, there is a need to strike a balance and recognize the idea of interdependence as means to achieve this end,” Chairperson Aguinaldo observed.

The Commission on Audit (COA) conducted a forum for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) awareness campaign with free HIV testing to COA employees on 25 January 2019 at the COA Medical Clinic.

Around 100 COA employees participated in the forum which was spearheaded by COA Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc in coordination with the COA Medical and Dental Services and the Quezon City Health Department Batasan Social Hygiene Clinic. The forum was the Commission’s response to the recently passed Republic Act No. 11166 also known as the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018.

COA Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc discusses salient points of Republic Act No. 11166 or the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 at an HIV/AIDS awareness forum at the COA Medical Clinic.

The Commission on Audit (COA) intensified its Integrity Management Program (IMP) beginning with a series of Integrity Pledge ceremonies throughout the country. The first batch of Central Office officials and personnel from the Executive Offices, the Administration, Planning, Finance and Management, Professional and Institutional Development, Special Services and the Systems and Technical Services Sectors took their Integrity Pledges before the Commission Proper on 12 February 2019 at the COA Cultural and Sports Complex.

The Integrity Pledge serves as a reminder to all COA officials and employees on how they are expected to conduct themselves as public servants and a way to enrich the commitment to serve with the highest degree of integrity.

Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc administers the Integrity Pledge with Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo and Commissioner Jose A. Fabia to COA Central Office personnel on 12 February 2019.

Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc administered the Integrity Pledge to officials and employees of COA Regional Office No. VI on 8 February 2019 as part of the Commission’s Integrity Management Program to strengthen the moral uprightness of COA employees.

Commissioner Pondoc stressed the importance of integrity, quoting Amy Anderson’s article in Forbes that noted integrity will last longer when success have come and gone.

While Regional Director Atty. Chona P. Labrague pointed out that the Integrity Pledge is the time when employees renew their promise to faithfully perform their duties and responsibilities as servants of the public.

COA Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc joins officials and staff of COA Regional Office No. VI led by Regional Director Chona P. Labrague during the Integrity Pledge ceremony on 8 February 2019.

Atty. Gileo S. Alojado, Chief of the Legal Services of COA Region VI, lectured on RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, RA 3019 or the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Revised Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for COA Officials and Employees. A role play showcasing audit experiences and positive work behavior was likewise held.

COA Regional employees solemnly swore to and abide by the responsibilities and obligations of public service and thereafter individually signed and submitted their respective Integrity Pledge documents.