Heidi Mendoza appointed COA commissioner

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has appointed military corruption whistleblower Heidi Mendoza as one of the commissioners of the Commission on Audit (COA).

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said Mendoza replaced Evelyn San Buenaventura. She will serve as commissioner until Feb. 2, 2018.

Mendoza’s name became prominent in news headlines after testifying in Senate hearings on corruption in the military during the time of former armed forces chiefs Angelo Reyes, Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu.

Carandang also announced that Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan, a former undersecretary of the Department of Finance’s revenue operations, has been named COA chief, replacing Reynaldo Villar.

“She’s a lawyer. She’s got accounting experience so she fits the bill and she’s already had a government experience also so she doesn’t have to… medyo narrow lang iyong learning curve niya,” the Malacañang spokesman said when asked about the appointment of Tan.

Carandang said that Mendoza and Tan were appointed because the administration “wanted a mix of people who, first of all, were in sync with our vision for good governance.”

He added that Malacañang believed that Mendoza and Tan are “highly qualified” and the two would “make a good team” because of their mixed skills on “administrative, operational and also investigative.”

“We expect them to carry out the duties of COA in the proper manner and we believe they have qualifications to serve their posts,” Carandang said.

He said that Malacañang is confident that Mendoza would remain serious in her anti-corruption advocacy.