OPPOSITION solons reminded President Rodrigo Duterte that he has no power to stop the Commission on Audit (COA) from flagging agencies with deficiencies and irregularities in spending their budget.

Albay Rep, Edcel Lagman said the COA has a constitutional mandate to safeguard the utilization of public funds and making public the results of its audit.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlo Zarate said the COA is “just doing” its constitutional duties of checking if taxpayer’s money were utilized properly and honestly.

Duterte, in his weekly taped briefing on Monday, told COA to stop flagging government transactions and publishing its reports as it would taint agencies with “corruption by perception.”

“Duterte conveniently forgot that COA is an independent constitutional commission which is not accountable to the president,” Lagman said.

“The right of the people to information cannot be negated and quashed by invoking that officials should be shielded from “corruption by perception,” the veteran solon said.

Lagman defended the COA saying its audit reports are thoroughly reviewed and documented.

According to Lagman, when major government departments and agencies are found to have unspent and/or misspent their respective budgets, then it is COA’s obligation to disclose the sanctionable negligence to utilize public funds and the culpable misuse of the people’s money.

Instead of immobilizing COA, the veteran solon asked Duterte to order the prosecution of the responsible officials of the agencies flagged by COA and accord them due process.

Zarate added that ?“COA have the power, authority, and duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of, and expenditures or uses of funds and property, owned or held in trust by, or pertaining to, the Government, or any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities. So instead of castigating the COA for guarding the people’s funds, Pres. Duterte should be thanking the Constitutional body.”

Meanwhile, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said President Duterte is subverting the COA’s independence by ordering the state auditors to stop flagging the irregularities in the national agencies’ use of public funds.

“The COA, as an independent constitutional commission, cannot and must not take orders from a disgruntled, late night show President.

Hindi pwedeng pigilan ni Duterte ang COA, galawang diktador yan,” Brosas said.

“Rather than rant against COA, why not reprimand national agencies and fire erring officials for wasting billions of taxpayers’ money while millions are dying and going hungry amid the pandemic?” she added.

In his weekly public address, Duterte defended the Department of Health (DOH) when COA flagged the alleged mishandling of COVID-19 funds amounting to P67 billion.

The President chided the COA for alleging that these funds went to corruption.