Unlike the 28 business and professional organizations that threw their full support to the Commission on Audit (COA) and calling to uphold the independence of the auditing body amid President Duterte’s quick defense of his officials' integrity even lambasting the audit agency, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s largest business organization, stayed on the side.

Now that Duterte has changed to a favorable tune for COA, the PCCI swiftly reacted with all praises to the President’s “full and unqualified acknowledgment of the role of the Commission on Audit (COA) as he stressed the critical role of COA in fighting graft and corruption.”

After unexpectedly castigating COA over its published audit findings of yet to be supported expenditures by the Department of Health, PCCI said “President Duterte said yesterday in a statement that COA was just doing its job as the law requires it. This is an encouraging sign that the government will not allow corrupt practices especially during this pandemic to go unpunished.”

COA got into the center of a public controversy when it released a report that flagged “deficiencies” in the use of funds by the Department of Health for COVID-19. This became an even bigger uproar when the President was cited to have allegedly ordered government agencies to “ignore COA”.

“After realizing the wrong signal it might send to various agencies, he immediately corrected himself,” the PCCI said in a statement.

“COA is mandated by the constitution to publish its audit findings after giving audited agencies due process to explain the state auditor’s observations. The reports are not accusations of corruption but a starting point for discussing alleged deficiencies in government spending,” the PCCI stated quoting its president Ed Lacson.

“We need check and balance to ensure an accountable and transparent government, and COA is the authority tasked by the constitution to be the official watchdog to ensure the integrity of government spending.”

Over the weekend, 28 business and professional groups issued a joint statement calling

“We, the undersigned private sector organizations, fully and wholeheartedly support the exercise by the Commission on Audit of its constitutional power, authority and duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts and expenditures of funds and properties of the Philippine government,” said the groups in their statement issued on August 21.

In the joint statement, the business and professional groups called to mind that the Constitution gives the Commission the “exclusive authority to define the scope and promulgate rules of its audit and examination ...for the prevention and disallowance of irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable expenditures, or misuse of government funds and properties.”

The Constitution likewise imposes upon the COA the constitutional duty “to submit an annual report” on its findings and “other reports as may be required by law.” It is also required by law to publish its reports, consistent with the constitutional right of our people to information on matters of public concern, and be protected from inappropriate and unlawful use of public funds and property.

Likewise, the different organizations pointed out that the Constitution expressly provides that the Commission is an independent constitutional body. It envisions the Commission to be unhampered and be above any political and other forms of undue pressure.

“Due respect and attention must be accorded to the Commission’s exercise of its powers and discharge of its duties under the Constitution,” they urged. Such is the constitutional nature of the Commission, with the power and mandatory duty to serve as a robust check-and-balance on the power to disburse and use public funds and properties, ensure that effective controls are in place to protect government financial assets and properties, improve effectiveness and efficiency, and be a vital instrument against corruption and misuse of public funds and properties, they said.

“It is our solemn duty as a people to uphold at all times the independence of our Constitutional Commissions. Upholding their constitutional mandates goes beyond compliance with the law; it is an affirmation of the moral duty and social conscience that we owe to our people. Our Constitution, which every public official has sworn to uphold under pain of penalty, demands no less.”

“In these crisis times, we should be unwavering in supporting our government agencies tasked to protect our country from graft and corruption, which will aggravate the current pandemic-driven situation of widespread hunger, unemployment, uncertainty and undue hardship and suffering of our people.”