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In an annual audit for the Province of Isabela, the Commission of Audit (COA) flagged around 20 dredging and desilting contracts worth around P295 million awarded to a single contractor.

Bayan Muna Party-list has slammed the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’s (ECOP) “free occupancy” of a government office space, describing the ECOPs failure to pay rent as “freeloading” on the backs of workers and the government.

President Duterte said he was “pleased” to know that the Commission of Audit (COA) has agreed to audit the subsidies received by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), chaired by Senator Richard Gordon, who has led the Senate’s inquiry into the government’s alleged anomalous deals with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

President Duterte has criticized Senator Richard Gordon for his apparent penchant for decorating ambulances of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) with images of his face.

President Duterte warned Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Michael Aguinaldo that failure on his part to lead an audit of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) would constitute a violation not only the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, but of the Constitution itself.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has expressed confidence that the Commission on Audit (COA) would know what to do with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) “debacle”.

It’s now the senators against some members of the House of Representatives on the issue of the Senate’s ongoing probe on the government’s purchase of pandemic-related supplies.

The executive department has no authority to prohibit private individuals from attending the Senate’s investigation on the alleged anomalies in the government’s procurement of COVID-19 supplies, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Wednesday, September 15.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III did not oppose propositions for the abolition of the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS) and the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC).

Senate President Vicente Sotto III has posted a cryptic tweet apparently addressing President Duterte’s plan to screen invitations for Cabinet officials in the upper chamber’s hearings.

The Commission on Audit (COA) should expect to receive a formal request from Malacañang to audit the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) anytime soon.

Senators have taken exception to statements from Cabinet members about their ongoing investigation on the government’s allegedly overpriced purchases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining that the Senate has the responsibility of making sure that public funds are spent properly and efficiently.

Senator Leila de Lima has asked her colleagues to also investigate the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) utilization of its funds, after state auditors flagged its transfer of over P160 million to the government’s anti-insurgency programs.

President Duterte has given an ultimatum of sorts to Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman, Senator Richard Gordon.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to look into the financial dealings of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation as lawmakers doubted that it can take on billions-worth of government contracts.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Tuesday, September 7, maintained that the Commission on Audit (COA) has jurisdiction to conduct a special audit on the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), which is chaired by Senator Richard Gordon who recently got embroiled in a verbal tussle with President Duterte.

President Duterte’s intention to “audit” the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is justified, as far as his spokesman and fellow lawyer Harry Roque is concerned.

President Duterte said he will demand the Commission on Audit (COA) to audit the Philippine Red Cross, a non-government organization (NGO), to see if funds are being spent correctly.