By Vanne Elaine Terrazola The government should not ignore the reports of the Commission on Audit (COA) if it is indeed committed in its fight against corruption. Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson
(Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson Official Twitter page / MANILA BULLETIN Senator Panfilo Lacson gave the unsolicited advice Saturday amid the COA's release of reports on the expenditure of government agencies last year. Without particular mention of the Duterte administration, Lacson said it should take note of the COA findings to make good its promise to rid the govenrment of corruption. "Any administration that says it is serious in fighting corruption must treat an adverse COA report as a good initial source of motive power to take positive action. Ignoring the report is to pay lip service," Lacson said on Twitter Saturday. The COA, most recently, questioned the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) over its unliquidated fund transfers and expenditures during the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit last year. In its 2017 annual audit report for the PCOO released Friday, the COA said the presidential communications group was only able to present for post audit some P219.24 million or 15.48 percent of the P1.42-billion fund it received for its media operations for the hosting of the ASEAN. The PCOO, headed by Secretary Martin Andanar, was also found to have spent some P4.04 million to rent IT equipment for the ASEAN coverages and information campaign which COA said was expensive by P964,872 from the original price. The COA also observed deficiencies in the grant and liquidation of P26.92 million in cash advances to special disbursing officers and other officers and employees. The PCOO, in reaction to the COA reports said it is investigating its officials as it assured that It will undertake necessary reforms.