FORMER President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has challenged the House of Representatives to open its financial records to the Commission on Audit (COA).
This move aims to scrutinize how public funds passing through the lower house are being used.
The former President emphasized his point.
“Congress has never been audited; you have never heard of a red flag hoisted in the premises or in the territory of Congress. Not once, not twice, not at all,” according to Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
In an interview with SMNI, the House leadership responded to the former President’s challenge.
“Well, the House of Representatives is ready to undergo an audit. As always, I mentioned a few days ago that the House of Representatives does not exempt itself from any audit procedure conducted by COA (Commission on Audit),” Rep. Mannix Dalipe, House Majority Leader said.
In fact, according to Dalipe, he obtained the latest COA Certification this month, which stated that there were no lapses in the House’s fund utilization.
“When I read the statement, the third-quarter statement report from COA regarding the House of Representatives, there was no suspension, disallowance, or notice of charge. The House’s report is clean,” Dalipe said.
Meanwhile, the House also responded to foreign relations expert Sass Rogando Sasot’s question about the issue of extraordinary funds.
Sass claimed that only certification is needed, and there is no requirement for receipts and rigorous auditing to use these funds.
The House has around P1.6 billion in extraordinary expenses in the 2023 national budget, which is used during emergencies.
“It’s our money; money is money. It’s not your money, not my money; it’s the people’s money. The people are entitled to know where the money is going. They own it,” Duterte added.
