While she agrees that the deficiencies flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) do not equate to corruption, former COA commissioner Heidi Mendoza said the public cannot be blamed for suspecting anomalies in the government's spending of resources, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Kung ikaw ay ordinaryong tao, nagkasakit ka, wala kang pampagamot, s'yempre maiisip mo, 'Aba, paano ba ang ginagamit ng gobyerno 'yong perang binabayad ko sa taxes?' (If you are an ordinary Filipino, and you got sick, but you don't have the money to pay for your treatment, of course you will think 'How is the government spending all the money I paid for taxes?')," Mendoza said in an online forum on Wednesday, August 18.
"Kung makikita mo sa internet 'yong laptop na masyadong mahal, tingin niyo po ba anong mararamdaman ng mga citizen (If you will see on the internet the exorbitant laptops being purchased by the government, what do you think will the citizens feel)?" she added.
The Department of Health (DOH) had planned to procure four high-end lap with a total budget of P700,000. The agency later canceled its purchase, after receiving criticisms on its reported deficiencies in spending over P67 billion of COVID-19 response funds.
"That's why hindi natin masisi -- nagagalit 'yong DOH, 'winarak niyo kami', ang sakit, naramdaman ko 'yon kahit wala na 'ko sa COA -- pero tingnan natin ano 'yong tone at the top. Ano 'yong perception na binigay mo taongbayan (That's why we cannot blame the people -- the DOH was mad, saying it was 'destroyed' and it hurt, even I'm not anymore in the COA -- but let's look at the tone at the top. What perception did you give our people)?" Mendoza said, referring to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who wailed against the COA for releasing its audit report.
Mendoza also cited as another example the backlash received by Drivers United for Mass Progress and Equal Right - Philippine Taxi Drivers Association (DUMPER-PTDA) Representative Claudine Bautista for her "lavish" wedding, despite the woes of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers.
"Kung nakikita mo na may mga kinakasal sa Balesin na may Michael Cinco na gown -- wala hong sinasabing public funds 'yan -- pero nagi-stuck po 'yan, eh (If you are seeing officials who are getting married in Balesin wearing a Michael Cinco gown -- there was no mention of public funds -- but those get stuck in the people's minds)," she said.
In the same forum, the former state auditor said President Duterte was right in saying that the COA's audit reports do not mean public funds were corrupted, but the repeated noncompliance of procurement laws and deficiencies could pave the way for corruption. Duterte had told his Cabinet members to ignore the constitutional body's reports.
"Wala po akong sinasabing korapsyon -- tama po si Presidente nong sinabi niyang walang korapsyon -- true (I am not saying there was corruption -- the President was right in saying there was no corruption -- it's true)," Mendoza said.
"Pero 'yon pong tinatawag natin na (But those we call) increased compliance issues, increased presence of accounting deficiencies and control lapses, they result in increased opportunities for corruption," she warned.
"Compliance risk can graduate into fraud and corruption risks if not mitigated...Audit report is a vessel to inform the public about these deficiencies and to correct those deficiencies," she pointed out, saying there should be a "balance between flexibility and accountability."
Mendoza said that heads of government officials play an important role in setting the people's perception on their agencies. She noted an "increased concern" among Filipinos following the the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the upcoming elections.
"We should take advantage of this. If our citizens will continue to demand accountability, our citizens will continue to appreciate the value of our auditors, medyo may pag-asa sa susunod na pagpili ng tamang kandidato (there is a hope that they will choose good candidates)," Mendoza said.
Mendoza is one of the convenors of the 1Sambayan, an opposition coalition seeking to nominate a single set of candidates against administration's slate in 2022.