Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — Senator Panfilo Lacson has resigned as a vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and chairman of one of its subcommittees, saying he wants time to focus on the 2022 budget as well as look into issues cited in the audit reports of several agencies.
In his statement, Lacson said “red flags” raised by the Commission on Audit indicate “blatant inefficiency, unconscionable incompetence and worse, probable misuse and abuse of public funds in virtually the entire government.”
In his letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Lacson said he hopes the truth behind the COA reports will be “ferreted out” and that those who “blundered the effective and proper use of public monies” will be held accountable.
Sotto accepted Lacson’s resignation as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance during the plenary session.
Recently, the COA flagged several agencies over findings concerning the use of funds. Among these were some ₱67.3-billion worth of “deficiencies” in the management of COVID-19 funds by the Department of Health.
President Rodrigo Duterte hit the audit body over the report and defended the DOH. He attributed these “deficiencies” to incomplete paperwork, adding that it does not necessarily mean corruption was involved.
READ: Duterte advises COA to ‘reconfigure’ audit reports
Lawmakers, several business groups, and some universities have expressed their support for COA, saying the agency was only doing its constitutional mandate to scrutinize government spending.
