Published: 5 March 2021
The Commission on Audit (COA) inaugurated the new office space for its Performance Audit Office on 2 March 2021 as part of its project to strengthen performance auditing operations. Enhancing performance auditing enables the Commission to focus more on helping government agencies provide better services to the Filipino people.
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COA Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo with Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc, Assistant Commissioner Alexander B. Juliano, Retired Director Emelita R. Quirante and OIC- Director Michael L. Racelis led the ribboncutting ceremony during the office inauguration of the Performance Audit Office. |
Retired Performance Audit Office (PAO) Director Emelita R. Quirante opened the ceremony by recounting the journey of the PAO which began with the Performance Audit Initiative, a partnership between COA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2016. While the journey was arduous at first, the Performance Audit Office is now here with a new home.
OIC- Director Michael L. Racelis also recounted the journey of the PAO and observed that with the new office space and increased plantilla positions, the Office will be able to start hiring additional performance auditors and increase the number of performance audit reports produced per year.
Assistant Commissioner Alexander B. Juliano humbly thanked the Commission Proper for their continued support. He also acknowledged the difficulty encountered by the Directors of the Performance Audit Office and commended them for their hard work and dedication.
COA Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc invited everyone to remember the “why” of the Commission, which is to provide an independent assessment of programs and activities of different government agencies in order to promote accountability and improve government operations. Commissioner Pondoc expressed hope that with the inauguration of the new office, the auditors will be able to produce more meaningful performance audit reports and be inspired to fulfill the ultimate “why” of the Commission, which is for the benefit of the Filipino people.
Chairperson Michael G. Aguinaldo closed the program by sharing that one of his main objectives at the start of his term was for COA audits to create impact and improving performance auditing fulfills this objective. By the nature of performance auditing, the Commission contributes to improvement of the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of government programs, projects, and activities. He added that the Commission’s performance audit reports have caught the eye of the members of the Legislature who have started to rely on these reports during budget deliberations. Lastly, he also shared that enhancing performance auditing in the Commission will be a continuing endeavor with the USAID under the Philippine Performance Audit Partnership Project in cooperation with the United States Government Accountability Office – Center for Audit Excellence.. #