Vice President Robredo on auditing government agencies: “Wala yun sa mandato natin”
On Sunday, Vice President Leni Robredo said that auditing government agencies was not among the mandates of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Robredo laughed off President Duterte’s claim that he would “audit the whole government” should he become the next vice president of the Philippines.
She, who was a lawyer like President Duterte, said during her weekly radio show that this wasn’t a mandate of the Office of the Vice President.
According to Robredo, the mandate of the Vice President was only succession but auditing was under a constitutional body so that there’s independence.
“Wala, wala yun sa mandato natin. Ang mandato ng VP, succession lang. Creative lang kami kaya meron kaming anti-poverty program, meron kaming programa ngayong COVID, pero ‘yung pag-audit nakalagay ‘yan sa isang constitutional body… para may independence. Hindi napapakialaman ng ibang branches ng government,” Robredo said.
READ ALSO: President Duterte To Audit COA If He Wins As Vice President In 2022
Robredo stressed that anti-corruption efforts must start with the Office of the President, adding that there were ways for the Duterte administration to prove that it’s for “anti-corruption” and among those ways were the release of the President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), and the COA audit reports, which President Duterte recently heavily criticized.
According to Robredo, COA audit reports on government agencies showed that they followed protocols. Robredo added that congressional investigations were also important in order to reveal corrupt practices as it has done so in the past.
Robredo’s reaction came after President Duterte said last August 26 that he will audit the Commission on Audit (COA) and will do the auditing for the entire government if he won as vice president in 2022.
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