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Monday, July 24, 2006
Seares: Bashing the COA
By Pachico A. Seares
News Sense
The Commission on Audit (COA) is the public’s last defense against illegal or wasteful spending of government funds.
COA annually reviews finances of public offices, corporations, and local governments to see if they follow the rules. And it lists the violations.
COA’s report — or, precisely, publicizing the report — is what infuriates public officials.
If the report were kept between COA and government office, discussed privately on exit then archived, few harsh words would fly.
Glare of light
Publicity is the glare of light for the public to see the violations. Like waving a report card filled with below-70s as the child’s family and friends gawk. Or, catching the child at the cookie jar, announcing it while drums roll.
Yet, without publicity what would the COA report be but a scrap of paper ignored until the next round of reports?
COA is not an ogre. Public officials it watches are not victims out to slay the ogre. At times though, that is how one side appears to the other.
To public officials, there are COA rules that are impractical, even absurd. To COA, there are public officials who hate overseeing and act like despots spending public money as if it were their own.
Overhauling COA rules and adjusting attitudes of public officials will help.
Public officials can bitch about COA and its faults.
I can only think with horror about a government without COA.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 24, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
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