President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the Commission on Audit to give the government “elbow room” to comply with the state auditors’ recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte made the remark in his second Talk to the People of the week and still on the heels of the COA’s findings of deficiencies in how the Department of Health spent its P67.32 billion for COVID-19 response.
“It is not easy really to comply. We know that we should comply, there is no problem about it. But can we have just enough elbow room?” Duterte said.
“Do not adopt the standards of the pre-pandemic days. We have a problem here,” he added.
COA chairman Michael Aguinaldo said the commission was willing to simplify some of its requirements from government agencies in the annual audit process.
Aguinaldo made the remark during the COA’s briefing before the House committee on public accounts on the reported deficiencies.
“Dahil kung mayroong some requirements that our perhaps not apt under the present circumstances, puwede naman kami sulatan at tanungin kung puwedeng irelax ‘yung ibang requirements,” Aguinaldo said.
“We know it’s pandemic… we know that some adjustments have to be made… we know that there’s certain priorities we need to consider at this time, especially allowances and the like,” he added. —NB, GMA News
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