Ordinary citizens to join COA auditors

MANILA, Philippines - Ordinary citizens will soon be joining state auditors in looking into government expenditures covering selected programs and projects to promote transparency in the auditing process.

Commission on Audit (COA) chair Ma. Grace Pulido-Tan announced yesterday the launching next week of the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA), a key reform initiative being undertaken in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Public Works and Highways, and selected civil society organizations.

Tan said the COA will now “take on the novel challenge of more transparency and accountability in the public audit process” by involving the citizenry in the audit process.

“As the state’s supreme audit institution, we have a duty to the public... But we also recognize that citizens are a key stakeholder in what the government does, and in what COA does,” she explained.

“To increase awareness that a vigilant and involved citizenry promotes greater accountability, special audit teams with both COA auditors and average citizens will conduct value-for-money or performance audits of selected government programs,” she added.

The audit chief revealed that the two-year program is a joint initiative of the COA and the non-profit intermediary group Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific, and funded by the Australian Agency for International Development.