YEARENDER: Banner year for COA with explosive ‘pork’ scam report

MANILA, Philippines - From a rather dull government office, the Commission on Audit (COA) served notice in 2013 with its explosive pork barrel fund scam report last August.

Its findings, coupled with other events and exposes in relation to how hundreds of millions in public funds were pocketed by lawmakers and bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) from 2007 to 2009 eventually led the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers three months later.

The results of state auditor’s investigation as revealed by COA chief Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan herself showed how the people’s money was misused and stolen.

Her “kahindik-hindik”(gross) description of the system caused a ripple effect of mass protests and actions, taking the fight against graft and corruption in government and the advocacy for transparency to new heights.

Lawmakers led by no less than former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. were eventually charged for plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman along with other ranking government officials now in danger of being indicted before the Sandiganbayan for serious offenses.

Looking back, Pulido-Tan said 2013 was a banner year for COA, “in the sense that all the things that we were able to do had an impact on the people and the country which is probably how it actually should be.”

She said the country’s supreme audit institution is no longer a body that just reports without anything happening, which is why state auditors are now more inspired in doing their jobs.

Asked about how she apparently made a lot of enemies, Pulido-Tan told that she is not looking for enemies and is not one who wants to make enemies.

“If there is anyone who hates us for doing our job, we could do nothing about that. I mean it’s part of the job. I don’t take things like this personally,” Pulido-Tan said.

“I don’t want to call them enemies, they’re not enemies. It’s just part of the job,” she said.

Pulido-Tan stressed COA simply wanted to make things right in the matter of how the people’s money is being spent.

As for next year, Pulido-Tan vowed to continue the work “as relentlessly, as courageously and competently.”

Asked if she ever thought that she should have not accepted the task, Pulido-Tan said she did talk about how her life “would have been so much more quiet and peaceful.”

“I would have been anonymous and ordinary but at same time... and maybe the reason why I am here is to see to it that if there are things like this happening, I will have to report them. Maybe this job is the cross that I have to carry and bear to Calvary. But it’s okay,” she said.

On being called one of President Aquino’s three “furies” along with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Pulido-Tan said it’s just a label.

“What is important to us is that we were given the opportunity, we did the best we can, it made an impact, the public support was with us and I’m very thankful for that, and I hope the public would still support us,” she said.

Pulido-Tan hinted COA is not yet done with its investigation particularly on the Malampaya Fund scam.

This was after the release of its first special audit report on how the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) gave some P900 million in government money again to bogus NGOs in 2009. She said more will be revealed in 2014.

According to Pulido-Tan, the first report is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg since other government agencies are being probed for what could be a P30-billion anomaly insofar as the amounts involved are concerned.

“Hopefully we could finish it this 2014,” she said.

Pulido-Tan revealed the DAR report is just a drop in the bucket and state auditors are doing their best to complete their probe.

Whether she will make even more enemies next year, Pulido-Tan assured it’s just part of the job and nothing personal.

“I have always endeavored to be fair in all my dealings with anyone and as far as the COA is concerned, we go by the records, we go by what we see. I am a lawyer by training and experience so what is important to me is what evidence do we have,” she said.

Indications

Body language and the little bit of information from Ombudsman Morales indicated she would pursue the filing of cases against the three senators next year.

With only a few days left in 2013, all are kept waiting anxiously for the results of the preliminary investigation that will determine if Senators Enrile, Estrada, and Revilla will join the ranks of high-ranking government officials facing plunder charges in their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

Morales shared the information before the public since the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed the complaints in September this year.

The issue of how lawmakers and officials of government agencies allegedly conspired with non-government organizations (NGOs) linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles was one of the biggest stories to hit the headlines this year.

And after all the noise, it is now up to Morales to decide on whether she will make history by sending three incumbent members of the Senate to jail where they will be held without bail.

The retired Supreme Court magistrate still kept her distance from the media in 2013 but occasionally granted quick interviews and answered questions in public forums.

In a talk before a roomful of foreign and local businessmen at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City shortly after plunder charges were lodged against the three senators, Morales willingly let the audience in on how she was surprised at the evidence she now has.

“I had a field day going over the first batch of documentary evidence submitted by the NBI and I assure you, you’ll be in for a surprise, it’s going to take much less,” she declared, referring to how soon the preliminary probe will be completed.

In a recent and rare television appearance, Morales admitted to Winnie Monsod’s Bawal ang Pasaway public affairs program that she spent millions of her intelligence funds for the investigation.

Based on her little hints, media expected the Office of the Ombudsman to announce the results of its pork barrel fund scam probe before 2013 ends but the public will apparently have to wait until 2014.

The anti-graft agency also had its hands full handling other big cases this year starting with an order to file graft cases against three officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) along with charges of homicide and obstruction of justice against a mayor in Sulu in January.

In February, Morales directed the filing of criminal charges and administrative sanctions against 11 ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the purchase of rubber boats.

The Ombudsman also found former Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia guilty of grave misconduct for a land deal.

The following month, the Ombudsman announced the arrest of a former employee of Bureau of Internal Revenue for extortion, suspended one of its own employees for unlawful disclosure of confidential information and preparing fake resolutions, and ordered the filing of graft and malversation charges against former officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

In April, 11 counts of perjury were filed against former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot and charges were ordered filed against former PNP officials for their alleged involvement in the so-called Euro generals scandal.

The Office of the Ombudsman somehow became occupied with its anniversary month activities in May but in June it continued the fight against graft and found a former deputy ombudsman liable for tampering with official documents.

It was in July that Morales first created a panel to investigate pork barrel scam and directed the indictment of former PNP officials in the light armored vehicles repair anomaly as more cases were decided while the Sandiganbayan secured more convictions from August to December 2013.