Published: 25 February 2025
Senior officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) led by Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba and Commissioners Roland Café Pondoc (recently retired) and Mario G. Lipana conducted an assessment conference to gauge the progress of programs, projects and initiatives under the priority thrusts of Chairperson Cordoba as embodied in the COA Strategic Plan 2023-2029.
Around 122 participants composed of all the Assistant Commissioners, senior directors, assistant directors, members of the COA Strategy, Performance Measurement and Reporting (SPMR) Committee and Secretariat and other support staff attended the event held in Batangas from 3 to 4 February 2025.
Adopted through COA Resolution No. 2023-025 dated 21 December 2023, the COA Strategic Plan 2023-2029 is composed of five Strategic Goals:
- Goal A: Improve the Quality and Timeliness of Audit;
- Goal B: Improve Govt Accountancy Services;
- Goal C: Enhance the Discharge and Adjudication and Investigatory Function;
- Goal D: Strengthen Support to Operations; and
- Goal E: Improve General Administration and Support Services.
Under these Strategic Goals are 63 initiatives and 73 main outputs. The initiatives are implemented through the Holistic Operational Plan 2024 and the Performance Commitment and Review of the Sectors/Offices.
Chairperson Cordoba noted that the Strategic Plan is more than a roadmap. “It is a vision, a commitment, and a collective endeavor to elevate our institution to greater heights of excellence, integrity, and service,” he said. The Chairperson also emphasized the importance of effective monitoring to allow COA senior officials the flexibility and agility to adjust approaches and highlight successes.
“Let us take this opportunity to reaffirm our dedication to accountability, integrity, and service. The future of COA is in our hands, and with unity, vision, and determination, we can achieve our aspirations for a more transparent and efficient governance system,” the Chairperson noted.
Commissioner Pondoc, who ended his term as Commissioner on 2 February 2025, reminded senior officials to prepare the younger generations of COAns in shaping the destiny of COA amidst uncertainty and transformation. “We live in an era where disruption is the norm. Various challenges, shifting political landscapes, and technological advancements redefine governance daily. Yet, amid this change, one truth remains: institutions that thrive do not wait for solutions —they create them. Today, I want to remind and leave with you for our young COAns the pillars that will define the government institutions, including this Commission that do not just endure, but flourish in this new reality,” he said.
Commissioner Lipana, for his part, extended his gratitude to senior officials who are retiring during the year for their invaluable service to the Commission.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioners and the members of the SPMR Committee reported some of the major accomplishments which included the following:
- Completion of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) Repeat Self-Assessment through the submission of the SAI Performance Report to the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Development Initiative (IDI) and consequently, receipt of the Independent Review Statement from the IDI. Both the SAI Performance Report and the Independent Review Statement are considered by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance Monitoring, Information and Reporting Systems as equivalent to the ISO 9001- aligned Quality Management System;
- Submission of the Five-Year Roadmap for the Initiative to “Digitalize the Audit Process” which incorporates the development of an automated audit system on e-collections and e-payments as well as conduct of series of orientation on COA Circulars supporting the adoption of e-Collections and e-Payments among agency personnel;
- Development of the Administrative Case Information System, a secured web-based system dedicated to managing and monitoring personnel complaints and administrative cases. This tool facilitates central data storage, real-time case tracking, and comprehensive reporting, empowering informed decision-making and fostering transparency throughout the proces
- Development of the Legal Services Information System, a web-based information system that facilitates the drafting, reviewing, referencing, indexing, finalizing, and monitoring of action taken by the offices of the Legal Services Sector;
- Completed the pilot implementation of the Strategic Performance Management Information System; and
- Issuance of COA Resolutions prescribing, among others, the Qualification Standards and Job Description for State Auditor positions in the Internal Control Systems Advisory Office, Information Technology Audit Office, Performance Audit Office and Quality Assurance Office, Restatement with Amendments on the Guidelines on the Access and Use of the CAM and Guidelines on the Adoption and Institutionalization of the OJT Training Program at COA as well as implement Employee Retention Program.
On the Revision of the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines, the House of Representatives has unanimously approved House Bill No. 9674 on 12 December 2023. While Senators Francis Escudero and Robin Padilla delivered their sponsorship speeches on Senate Bill (SB) No. 2907 substituting SB No. 2746. Plenary debates on SB No. 2907 took place in January 2025.
COA has likewise received the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines (AGAP) Outstanding Accounting Office Award for having exemplarily met the criteria set by the AGAP Awards Committee on Accuracy, Timeliness, Reliability and Compliance with Accounting, Budgeting, Rules and Regulations.
Senior officials of the Commission also paid tribute to Commissioner Pondoc during the Fellowship Night in celebration of his legacy as COA Commissioner. (see separate article- editor) #