Malacañang expressed its condolences to COA auditor behind DOH report.
On Thursday, Malacañang expressed its condolences to the Commission on Audit (COA) auditor who worked on the Department of Health (DOH) report.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that Malacañang condoled with the family and friends of COA Auditor Jake Cimafranca.
“Dahil tayo ay mga Pilipino, we, of course, condole with the family and friends of the late COA auditor. We understand na na-heart attack ata si compañero ng August 4 and the COA report was released, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, around August 16 but nonetheless we condole with the family and in any way that we can help, please let us know,” Roque said.
Roque’s statement came after former COA commissioner Heidi Mendoza said last Tuesday that Cimafranca, died due to a heart attack, possibly due to stress brought on by working for the agency.
In a separate Facebook post, Mendoza revealed that Cimafranca also helped draft the audit report concerning the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology).
READ ALSO | Harry Roque On COA Reports On Agencies: “Cool po muna tayo”
The Commission on Audit was currently under fire from President Rodrigo Duterte and administration officials and allies like Health Secretary Francisco Duque III for releasing an audit report which showed that there were deficiencies worth PHP 67.32 billion in the Department of Health’s COVID-19 funds.
According to the Commission on Audit, the deficiencies caused by non-compliance with pertinent regulations and laws have led to missed opportunities during a public health crisis.
However, President Duterte on Monday asked the Commission on Audit to stop flagging government agencies and to refrain from publishing their reports as it tainted government agencies with “corruption by perception”.
In a House panel briefing on the Commission on Audit’s audit of the Department of Health, Duque lamented how the audit report provided a damning judgment of the department even if the said report wasn’t yet conclusive.
Current COA Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo assured during the same hearing that the commission would continue making and publishing audit reports of government agencies despite criticisms from President Duterte and Health Secretary Duque.
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