PH Senate panel approves P16 billion COA budget for 2027

The Senate Finance Committee has approved the Commission on Audit’s (COA) proposed P16.047-billion budget for 2027, sending the agency’s funding request to the plenary for further deliberations.

The amount approved by the committee is P1.252 billion lower than COA’s original P17.299-billion proposal. The reduction stems largely from the exclusion of Tier 2 Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and capital outlay requirements from the recommendation of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During Thursday’s budget hearing, Senate Finance Committee Chairperson JV Ejercito focused much of his questioning on COA’s continuing examination of flood control projects, particularly those that have been flagged over alleged irregularities.

COA told the panel that it has been coordinating with the Office of the Ombudsman, while its Fraud Audit Office has already completed nearly 50 fraud audit reports. Many of the reports involve flood control projects in Bulacan.

“Hindi dapat matapos sa audit report lamang. Kung may nakitang iregularidad, kailangang may managot at dapat nating tiyakin na maipagpapatuloy ang imbestigasyon hanggang sa makamit ang accountability,” Ejercito said.

The audit agency said notices of disallowance and audit reports are promptly forwarded to the Ombudsman, which may use them as a basis for preliminary investigations and possible criminal cases.

Ejercito also requested a complete inventory of flood control projects from COA, including those found to be non-existent or classified as “ghost projects.” The agency committed to provide the documents.

“Kailangan nating malaman kung alin ang mga proyektong talagang ginawa at alin ang hindi naman talaga nag-exist. Dapat malinaw sa taumbayan kung saan napunta ang kanilang pera,” he said.

The senator also raised concerns over the protection of COA auditors who face possible harassment or retaliatory lawsuits after issuing adverse audit findings. He questioned whether the agency’s P169-million Legal Assistance Fund would be enough to cover such cases.

COA said the fund remains sufficient for now. Its Prosecution and Litigation Office assists auditors who face legal action and can hire private counsel when needed. The agency, however, said it would continue monitoring the fund as the number of high-profile cases grows.

Ejercito said auditors should not be discouraged from performing their constitutional mandate because of the threat of legal retaliation.

“Kung ginagawa lamang ng ating COA auditors ang kanilang trabaho at naglalabas sila ng findings, dapat may proteksyon sila laban sa harassment at retaliatory lawsuits. Hindi dapat matakot ang auditor na gawin ang kanyang tungkulin.”

Beyond individual projects, Ejercito called for a broader and more sustainable approach to flood control, particularly across the country’s 18 major river basins.

He said flood control infrastructure should not be dismissed outright, arguing that the problem lies in projects that are developed without considering how they fit into an entire river system.

“Hindi naman masama ang flood control projects. Ang masama ay kung ginagawa ito nang walang malinaw na plano at hindi natin tinitingnan ang buong river system,” Ejercito said.

Ejercito also urged the government to examine how water impounding facilities could serve additional purposes and maximize their value to communities.

The San Juan lawmaker has been pushing Senate Bill No. 2, or the Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act, since the 19th Congress.

The proposed MIND Act seeks to create a long-term, integrated national infrastructure plan that would guide government projects across administrations and link individual infrastructure investments to a broader national development strategy.

Ejercito renewed his call for the government’s economic managers to back the measure during the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing on Aug. 27.

The committee also took up the existing rules on Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF), which remain governed by the Joint Circular dated Jan. 8, 2015 covering their allocation, disbursement, use and audit.

Ejercito said the guidelines should be revisited to strengthen transparency and accountability without compromising legitimate national security concerns.

“Kailangan nating balansehin ang transparency at national security. Pero kung pera ng taumbayan ang pinag-uusapan, dapat malinaw kung paano ito ginagamit at may sapat na safeguards laban sa maling paggamit,” he said.

With committee approval secured, COA’s P16.047-billion 2027 budget will now move to the Senate plenary for further scrutiny.

-Paraluman News