Commission on Audit

COA's Freedom of Information (FOI) efforts recognized

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Published: 18 December 2017

The Commission on Audit (COA) was recognized for its exceptional and significant contributions to the progress of the FOI program during the first FOI Awards Ceremony held recently at the Rizal Park Hotel, Manila.

The Presidential Communications Operations Office spearheaded the awards to recognize the significant contributions of government agencies to the development and progress of the FOI program. COA was one of the awardees for agencies outside the executive branch.

“The Commission is committed to ensuring accountability for public resources and promoting transparency through mechanisms that allow us to engage and empower the public by providing them with access to official records involving public interest. We are both honored and inspired to have received recognition for our transparency efforts,” said COA Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo.

Aside from COA Circular No. 2013-006 which is the main COA issuance that operationalizes the people's constitutional right to information, other programs that provide the public with access to information are:

• COA Citizen’s Desk- a Helpdesk that uses a support ticket system in which the public may report allegations of fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement of public funds and direct their queries including requests for official documents. Aside from filling in necessary information through the website, the public may also text their concerns/queries (Text line: +63917 320 6543) or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

• COA Legal Information Archive - serves as the digital repository of COA issuances, resolutions, decisions, and other key legislations and jurisprudence affecting the Commission, accountability for public funds, and auditing and accounting regulations.

• COA website – The Commission’s various official reports as well as Circulars, manuals, accounting and auditing issuances may be directly downloaded without need of written requests.

• Hotline 8888 – COA has acted upon auditing and other related concerns/complaints endorsed to the Commission by the Office of the President as well as by the Civil Service Commission.

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PCW and COA conduct Gender and Development Planning and Budgeting Fora

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Published: 16 November 2017

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in partnership with the Commission on Audit (COA) conducted the 2017 Gender and Development (GAD) Budget Fora for two different sets of audiences on 9 and 10 November 2017 at the COA Sports and Cultural Center Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

The forum reoriented budget officers on the Revised Guidelines on the Preparation of the Annual GAD Plans and Budgets and Accomplishment Reports, clarified issues and concerns encountered by agencies in the preparation and implementation of their annual GAD Plans and Budgets; and presented the guidelines in the audit of GAD Funds and activities.

An estimated 470 representatives from national government agencies, attached agencies, bureaus, state universities and colleges and government-owned-and-controlled corporations participated. Also present were representatives from the Department of Budget Management (DBM) and members of the PCW Gender Resource Pool.

COA Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth S. Zosa expressed her hope that the Forum would provide more opportunities for women’s empowerment and contribute to the reduction and eradication of all forms of violence against women.

“The ultimate goal [of the GAD Budget] is to equalize; and when you equalize, you give more to those who have less,” she stressed.

PCW Deputy Directors Maria Kristine Josefina G. Balmes and Cecile B. Gutierrez likewise emphasized that Gender Mainstreaming of which GAD Planning and Budgeting is included should be implemented not merely for compliance but as a strategy ingrained within the organization’s system to address gender issues relevant to the agency mandate. COA was cited as the first agency to reach level four in PCW’s Gender Mainstreaming and Evaluation Framework Assessment Tool.

COA Director and GAD Focal Point System Secretariat Chairperson Fortunata M. Rubico and COA Professional Development Office Assistant Director Susana S. Medez shared the new audit approach and audit areas based on the Revised Guidelines in the Audit of GAD Funds and activities in government agencies (COA Circular 2014-01).

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Former COA Chief Francisco S. Tantuico passes away

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Published: 06 October 2017

Former Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Francisco S. Tantuico, Jr. passed away in the evening of 5 October 2017. He was 87 years old.

Chairman Tantuico was the second Chairman of the audit body when it became a Constitutional Commission under the 1973 Constitution. He held the Commission’s helm from 1975 to 1986. Under his leadership, the Commission underwent comprehensive and far-reaching reforms such as the adoption of comprehensive audit which expanded auditing services to include financial and performance audits; revision of accounting and auditing rules and procedures; and professionalization of the auditing service and organizational restructuring of the Commission. He was also instrumental in the promulgation and issuance of PD 1445 or the General Auditing Code of the Philippines.

Chairman Tantuico established linkages with world audit bodies, paving the way for the Commission’s current respected status in the international audit community. He was a prime mover in the creation of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) in 1979 to improve public audit performance of governments in Asia through training, research and education. He was the first Secretary General of the ASOSAI. Chairman Tantuico was also elected member of the United Nations Board of Auditors in 1984.

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