Nancy Binay, COA chief argue over Malampaya audit

MANILA, Philippines - The first Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the Malampaya fund scam on Monday was briefly suspended after Sen. Nancy Binay and Commission on Audit (COA) Chair Grace Pulido Tan argued over the release of audit findings.

Tan had finished presenting the COA audit report on the P900-million Malampaya fund released to the Department of Agrarian Reform when Binay asked the official to also disclose the highlights of the audit findings on other government agencies that received the Malampaya fund.

The COA chief, however, pointed out that the contents of the audit findings cannot yet be made public because the concerned government agencies being audited have yet to comment.

"As a matter of policy, we do not disclose the results of audit until we are ready to release. Kasi ho in the course of the review, pwede hong may mga magbabago pa po depende ho sa aming audit evidence," Tan said.

Binay then claimed that in the Senate probe on the Makati parking building, a COA representative disclosed the highlights of the audit findings on the controversial project.

But Tan corrected the senator: "I don't think that those were audit findings. Those were (citations of) red flags."

Binay insisted that the COA representative submitted preliminary findings that were disclosed in the Senate hearing. Tan again disagreed.

"Wala pa pong audit 'yun, Ma'am. Ano 'yon, initial evaluation. 'Yun po ang tinatawag naming red flags," Tan told Binay.

"Iba po 'yun sa audit. 'Yung red flags po, on the bare face of evidence, makikita mo kaagad. This is the direction of our audit," Tan said.

Binay then asked Tan if there were also red flags found on the release of the Malampaya fund to the other government agencies.

"Meron po nung umpisa pero because we went through audit already, then I cannot disclose the results of the audit," Tan replied.

Before Sen. Teofisto Guingona III called for a one-minute suspension, Binay asked the Senate panel to subpoena the audit findings.

Tan said she will yield to the "compulsive processes that the Senate may take on this matter." Binay, on the other hand, assured that she will not disclose the audit findings.

For his part, Guingona said the he will first study Binay's request before bringing it to the Blue Ribbon Committee.