News | Commission on Audit

House approves bill revising government auditing code

Published: 21 December 2023

In an effort to keep up with the changing times, the Commission on Audit (COA) had long been clamoring for lawmakers to update the 45-year old Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1445 or the “Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.” This initiative has taken a big step forward as the House of Representatives, voting 258-0-0, approved House Bill No. 9674 or the “Revised Government Auditing Act” on the Third and Final Reading on 12 December 2023. It is one of the priority measures of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

In his sponsorship speech, Committee on Revision of Laws Chair Edward Vera Perez Maceda noted the outdated processes of accounting and auditing and emphasized the need to update the government auditing code due to the changing times, emerging technologies and digitization.

Representative Edward Vera Perez Maceda (6th from left), 4th District of Manila, Chair of the Committee on Revision of Laws; Representative Mark O. Go (7th from left), Lone District of Baguio City and Member of the Committee on Appropriations; and Atty. Jean Celzo-Dapula, Secretary of the Committee on Revision of Laws join COA officials (left to right) Atty. Ana Lee T. Sianoya, Director Daryl H. Tonolete, Atty. Al Baljon, Assistant Commissioners Alexander B. Juliano, Winnie Rose H. Encallado, Fortunata M. Rubico and Nilda B. Plaras, Atty. Erwin E. Lapitan, and HOR Auditor Isaiash Reynoso at the House of Representatives Plenary Session Hall after the 2nd reading of the Revised Government Auditing Act on 6 December 2023.

Published: 28 November 2023

Commission on Audit (COA) officials led by Commissioner Mario G. Lipana attended the 63rd Regular Session of the United Nations’ Panel of External Auditors held from 20 to 21 November 2023 in the UN Headquarters, New York. The 63rd Regular Session was chaired by Dr. Isma Yatun, Chair of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia.

The United Nations’ Panel of External Auditors provides a unique platform to discuss important and timely issues, exchange of information, methodologies, and process to deliver high quality and value-adding external audit services and ensure transparent and accurate decisions made by the United Nations, its Specialized Agencies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The 63rd Regular Session was attended by the Panel members coming from 12 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), namely: Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The Panel discussed several crucial topics and approved the revised Rules of Procedures amendment. The Panel also met with His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, highlighting crucial topics such as management of critical risks, the challenging financial environment, harmonization in implementing new accounting standards across the UN, addressing climate change, and importance of digital transformation.

Published: 8 November 2023

Dr. Khin Naing Oo, Auditor General of SAI Myanmar, hands-over the gavel to symbolize the turn-over of Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Supreme Audit Institutions to Commission on Audit Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba.

Manila, Philippines, 2 November 2023 - The Commission on Audit (COA) hosts the 7^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI) Summit from 1 to 3 November 2023 as the incoming Chairperson of the ASEANSAI for the period 2024-2025.

Established on 16 November 2011, the ASEANSAI encourages and promotes good governance within the ASEAN region. It focuses on capacity development for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of ASEAN member states and technical cooperations dealing with important and common audit issues in the ASEAN.

COA Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba leads the Philippine SAI in hosting around 68 delegates from the SAIs of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Dr. Khin Naing Oo, Auditor General of SAI Myanmar; Dr. Isma Yatun, Auditor General of SAI Indonesia; Ms. Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, Auditor General of SAI Malaysia; Dato Paduka Haji Yusop bin Haji Mahmud, Auditor General of SAI Brunei; Mr. Viengthavisone THEPHACHANH, President of SAI Lao PDR; Ms. Goh Soon Poh, Auditor General of SAI Singapore; Mr. SUON Sitthy, Deputy Auditor General of SAI Cambodia; Ms. Ha Thi My Dzung, Deputy Auditor General of SAI Vietnam; and Ms. Jinda Mahuttanawat, State Audit Commissioner of SAI Thailand, lead their respective countries’ delegations.

Published: 6 November 2023

The Commission on Audit (COA) takes a proactive stance in the prevention, detection and response to allegations of fraud in all government transactions. COA Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc explained how COA conducts fraud audit in a two-part article published recently in the PICPA Talks column of the Manila Bulletin.

Commissioner Pondoc encouraged the public to report allegations of fraud in all government transactions to COA and likewise gave helpful instructions on how the public can proceed in filing a written information, complaint or request for fraud audit before the Fraud Audit Office at the COA Central Office for agencies located in the National Capital Region or the Office of the COA Regional Directors for agencies located in the regions.

According to Commissioner Pondoc, "Any person who has knowledge that the transaction of, or the project/program/activity implemented by any government agency is tainted with fraud or anomaly, or that public officials or employees have committed or are committing fraud or anomaly in transactions involving disbursement or receipt/collection of public funds or use of government properties and other government transactions, may file for a request for fraud audit."

When fraud audit is warranted, a Special Audit Team is created to investigate the allegations of fraud. Commissioner Pondoc emphasized the difference between regular audit where audit teams perform financial, compliance, and performance audits, with fraud audit whose objectives are to render a timely and quality fraud audit report substantiated by evidence, monitor the effective implementation of the recommendations, and assure the successful prosecution of the civil, administrative and/or criminal aspect against the wrongdoers.

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