Aquino urges COA to join his administration in fighting corruption
President Benigno S. Aquino III asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to join him in his administration’s fight against corruption as the country inches its way towards reforms.
“Samahan ninyo akong palayain natin ang ating bansa sa rehas ng kadamutan at pagkakanya-kanya. Huwag tayong magpaalipin sa kultura ng panlalamang at pagbabatuhan ng sisi,” the Chief Executive said in his speech at COA’s 112th anniversary celebration on Wednesday in Quezon City.
“May lampas limang taon pa po tayo para sama-samang buwagin ang mga balakid sa tinatahak nating daan tungo sa pagbabago. Huwag nating sayangin ang pagkakataon para ayusin ang matagal na nating gustong ayusin,” the President said.
President Aquino was the guest of honor and speaker at COA’s anniversary that was higlighted by the recognition of outstanding audit groups and individuals who excelled in their field and those who exposed wrongdoings.
He stressed that the commission has nothing to fear now noting that he and the Filipino public will be behind it in fighting corruption in the country.
“Alam ninyong iba na ang sitwasyon ngayon. Sa buong COA wala na kayong dapat katakutan. Alam ninyong sa labang ito kakampi ninyo ako at ang mamamayang Pilipino.”
COA, According to the President, is a very important government agency in fighting corruption and in stopping wastage in government expenditures. The commission strengthens the government’s resolve in doing what is right, the President said.
While the President expects COA to do its job well, he also promised its employees that they will receive something in return for their contributions to the country.
"Sana po ay ituloy-tuloy po natin ito at ako naman po ay hindi manhid. Umasa po kayo na hindi puro thank you ang aabutin n’yo sa akin. Habang lumalaki ang ekonomiya ay lumalakas ang kakayahan ng pamahalaan,” he added.
The President expressed hope that a good working relationship between COA and the Office of the Ombudsman will take place as the new Ombudsman is about to assume office soon.
With the selection of the new Ombudsman, the President said, he expects it to perform well and serve the best interest of the people.
“Kapag may inilapag na kaso ang COA sa Office of the Ombudsman inaasahan nating mabibigyang-pansin ito at masusing pag-aaralan, hindi maisasantabi, hindi pagtatakpan, hindi maglalabas ng resolusyong lugi ang taumbayan. Kakampi po ninyo ang marami pa sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno sa agenda ng tapat na pamamahala,” he said. (PCOO)
Aquino leads awarding ceremonies for Commission on Audit’s ‘Salutes the Best’ program
President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the Commission on Audit (COA) in recognizing the awardees of the commission’s “Salutes the Best” program that highlighted its 112th foundation anniversary.
COA’s “Salutes the Best” program recognizes the most outstanding audit work by COA personnel and audit groups.
President Benigno S. Aquino III asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to join him in his administration’s fight against corruption as the country inches its way towards reforms.
“Samahan ninyo akong palayain natin ang ating bansa sa rehas ng kadamutan at pagkakanya-kanya. Huwag tayong magpaalipin sa kultura ng panlalamang at pagbabatuhan ng sisi,” the Chief Executive said in his speech at COA’s 112th anniversary celebration on Wednesday in Quezon City.
“May lampas limang taon pa po tayo para sama-samang buwagin ang mga balakid sa tinatahak nating daan tungo sa pagbabago. Huwag nating sayangin ang pagkakataon para ayusin ang matagal na nating gustong ayusin,” the President said.
President Aquino was the guest of honor and speaker at COA’s anniversary that was higlighted by the recognition of outstanding audit groups and individuals who excelled in their field and those who exposed wrongdoings.
He stressed that the commission has nothing to fear now noting that he and the Filipino public will be behind it in fighting corruption in the country.
“Alam ninyong iba na ang sitwasyon ngayon. Sa buong COA wala na kayong dapat katakutan. Alam ninyong sa labang ito kakampi ninyo ako at ang mamamayang Pilipino.”
COA, According to the President, is a very important government agency in fighting corruption and in stopping wastage in government expenditures. The commission strengthens the government’s resolve in doing what is right, the President said.
While the President expects COA to do its job well, he also promised its employees that they will receive something in return for their contributions to the country.
"Sana po ay ituloy-tuloy po natin ito at ako naman po ay hindi manhid. Umasa po kayo na hindi puro thank you ang aabutin n’yo sa akin. Habang lumalaki ang ekonomiya ay lumalakas ang kakayahan ng pamahalaan,” he added.
The President expressed hope that a good working relationship between COA and the Office of the Ombudsman will take place as the new Ombudsman is about to assume office soon.
With the selection of the new Ombudsman, the President said, he expects it to perform well and serve the best interest of the people.
“Kapag may inilapag na kaso ang COA sa Office of the Ombudsman inaasahan nating mabibigyang-pansin ito at masusing pag-aaralan, hindi maisasantabi, hindi pagtatakpan, hindi maglalabas ng resolusyong lugi ang taumbayan. Kakampi po ninyo ang marami pa sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno sa agenda ng tapat na pamamahala,” he said. (PCOO)
Aquino leads awarding ceremonies for Commission on Audit’s ‘Salutes the Best’ program
President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the Commission on Audit (COA) in recognizing the awardees of the commission’s “Salutes the Best” program that highlighted its 112th foundation anniversary.
COA’s “Salutes the Best” program recognizes the most outstanding audit work by COA personnel and audit groups.
Speaking at COA’s awarding ceremony on Wednesday the President said things have changed dramatically since the new administration assumed office. He pointed out that COA employees have nothing to fear now in doing what is right, believing that the government and the people are behind them.
“Bilang mga tanod ng burukrasya, huwag sana kayong panlabuan ng mata kapag sinuhulan kayo ng bahay o kotse o sangdangkal na pera. Ito ang tapat na serbisyo, ito ang tuwid na landas, ito ang katuparan ng layunin nating pagbabago at kayong mga auditor ang nasa frontline sa labang ito,” the President said.
Among the audit teams that received recognition from the President were groups from Tacloban City and Dagupan City. This year’s outstanding COA employee is state auditor Haydee Pasuelo.
The Tacloban audit team is considered as the whistle blower of the Pag-IBIG loan scam after discovering a P53.1 million worth of anomaly involving bogus borrowers. The scam prompted a congressional inquiry.
Dir. Rodulfo Ariesga and auditors Alicia Malquisto, Imelda Oballo, Elena Merida and Josefina Galos composed the team that discovered the scam.
The Dagupan audit team composed of Dir. Sabiniano Cabatuan, Pelilia Veloso, Herminia Laforteza and Nixon de Nieva unearthed irregularities in 978 developer-assisted housing loans totaling P484.7 million.
Meanwhile, Pasuelo, this year’s outstanding employee, found two government officials stealing P1.2 million from public coffers and this resulted to their dismissal from service. At the same time, Pasuelo issued P97.8 million worth of audit disallowances in three government agencies.
The COA is the country’s supreme audit institution with the Philippine Constitution declaring it as a constitutional office. The law grants it powers to audit all accounts pertaining to all government revenues and expenditures, uses of government resources and to prescribe accounting and auditing rules.
The “Salutes the Best” program of COA highlighted the commission’s week-long anniversary celebration with “Sustaining Commitment Against Corruption” as its theme. (PCOO)
Palace grants provisional power to PCGG to replace holdover nominees
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has been directed to replace all holdover nominees in sequestered or surrendered corporations under Executive Order No. 42 issued by President Benigno Aquino III to protect the interest of the government.
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Tuesday that under the President’s directive, the provisional authority granted to the PCGG to select interim replacements is valid only until December 31, 2011, unless extended by the Chief Executive.
“The President deemed it important to safeguard the interest of the country and the Filipino people in government-sequestered companies while at the same time institute measures to ensure that the operations in these companies are not disrupted.
Granting the PCGG the power to appoint nominee-directors in an interim basis allows us to balance these two objectives,” Ochoa explained.
Under EO 42 signed by the President on May 9, the provisional authority shall be exercised by the PCGG chairperson, who will name provisional nominees to positions occupied by directors in holdover capacity from the previous administration, pending permanent appointment by the President.
The PCGG can replace these nominee-directors in sequestered or surrendered corporations with up to two members of the commission on interim basis, the executive order states.
According to Ochoa, the PCGG must submit a list of temporary nominees who will replace holdover directors in various government-sequestered companies to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary.
All nominee-directors, Ochoa said, are directed to submit to the PCGG monthly reports, or as may be required, on the affairs, developments and transactions affecting the respective corporations. Subsequently, the PCGG must periodically turn in a detailed summary of these reports to the President.
EO 42 takes effect immediately upon its publication in a national newspaper of general circulation. (PCOO)
Aquino orders filing of motion for reconsideration following approval of Garcia’s plea bargaining deal
President Benigno S. Aquino III issued an order to exhaust the legal remedies available for the government by filing a motion for reconsideration before the Sandiganbayan to allow the government to intervene in the plea bargaining deal of former Armed Forces Comptroller General Carlos Garcia.
The President said he had already communicated with Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz regarding their next legal moves after the Sandiganbayan’s approval of the said deal between the Office of the Ombudsman and Garcia.
“I have tasked them to find out what else could be done,” Aquino said in an ambush interview after attending the 112th Anniversary Celebration of the Commission on Audit (COA), at the Cultural and Sports Complex along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City Tuesday.
“The President admitted that he was surprised over the decision of the Sandiganbayan approving the plea bargaining deal and the junking of the Solicitor General's (OSG) pleas, including the motion to intervene.
The agreement reportedly allowed Garcia to return to the government some P150 million believed to be ill-gotten in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense instead of plunder which is punishable by life imprisonment. As a result, Garcia was released from prison after posting bail for P60,000.
The OSG earlier asked the Sandiganbayan to nullify the plea bargain agreement, saying it is “irregular and it is not right.”
Cadiz said the OSG’s call for the Sandiganbayan justices to take a second look at the approved agreement was contained in the Urgent Motion for Leave to Intervene and Omnibus Motion-in-Intervention they filed last January.
In its motion to intervene, Cadiz said the plea bargain agreement and its approval suffer from grave legal infirmities “thereby rendering them null and void and hence, should be set aside.”
He stressed that the plea bargaining agreement was approved despite non-compliance with Section 2, Rule 116 of the Rules of Court which requires the need to get the consent of the offended party, which is the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (PCOO)
Philippines supports global action to improve road safety
Malacañang is set to unveil the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan for the next 10 years in support of a global campaign to substantially cut down road crashes and fatalities worldwide, according to Proclamation No. 159 signed by President Benigno Aquino III.
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Tuesday the proclamation declares 2011 as the launch year of the country’s strategies to make the streets safer for motorists, which will be released on May 11 to coincide the kick-off of the first global launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC). The proclamation was signed by President Aquino on April 28. “The Aquino Administration is aware of the high prevalence of road and traffic accidents in the country, which are among our major public health concerns today,” Ochoa said.
According to Ochoa, the government recognizes the need to take immediate steps to curb road accidents because “road and traffic mishaps result to a broad range of social and economic consequences that may affect the sustainable development of our country.” It is estimated that 1.3 million people die each year from road crashes globally, and experts consider road and traffic accidents to be more fatal than malaria because these continue to be the leading causes of many deaths, physical injuries, devastating damages and disabilities around the world.
In Metro Manila alone, deaths from road accidents reached 380 in 2010 according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System. In the country, the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group reports that there were a total of 14,487 vehicular accidents from January to October last year. The alarming statistics on deaths caused by road accidents prompted the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to approve a resolution in March 2010 declaring 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The landmark UN resolution – proposed to the UN by the Federation Internationale de I’Autmobile (FIA), the European Union and other international organizations and institutions – was endorsed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and signed by around 100 governments.
The FIA Foundation, a group which actively promotes road safety and motorist welfare, recommends decisive action on all aspects of road safety such as safer roads and vehicles, increased use of seatbelts and helmets, road safety management and improved responses to road mishaps, among others.
The Executive Secretary said the Philippine action plan was drafted by the Department of Transportation and Communications in partnership with the private sector.
“The issuance of the proclamation and our road safety action plan is our way of showing support for the UNGA resolution on promoting road safety, as we share the goal of the UNGA to reduce traffic fatalities around the world,” Ochoa said. “In coming up with our own national road safety strategies, plans and targets, we manifest our full commitment to the objectives of the UN resolution and we believe it would contribute to the improvement of road safety in the world,” he added. (PCOO)
Among the audit teams that received recognition from the President were groups from Tacloban City and Dagupan City. This year’s outstanding COA employee is state auditor Haydee Pasuelo.
The Tacloban audit team is considered as the whistle blower of the Pag-IBIG loan scam after discovering a P53.1 million worth of anomaly involving bogus borrowers. The scam prompted a congressional inquiry.
Dir. Rodulfo Ariesga and auditors Alicia Malquisto, Imelda Oballo, Elena Merida and Josefina Galos composed the team that discovered the scam.
The Dagupan audit team composed of Dir. Sabiniano Cabatuan, Pelilia Veloso, Herminia Laforteza and Nixon de Nieva unearthed irregularities in 978 developer-assisted housing loans totaling P484.7 million.
Meanwhile, Pasuelo, this year’s outstanding employee, found two government officials stealing P1.2 million from public coffers and this resulted to their dismissal from service. At the same time, Pasuelo issued P97.8 million worth of audit disallowances in three government agencies.
The COA is the country’s supreme audit institution with the Philippine Constitution declaring it as a constitutional office. The law grants it powers to audit all accounts pertaining to all government revenues and expenditures, uses of government resources and to prescribe accounting and auditing rules.
The “Salutes the Best” program of COA highlighted the commission’s week-long anniversary celebration with “Sustaining Commitment Against Corruption” as its theme. (PCOO)
Palace grants provisional power to PCGG to replace holdover nominees
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has been directed to replace all holdover nominees in sequestered or surrendered corporations under Executive Order No. 42 issued by President Benigno Aquino III to protect the interest of the government.
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Tuesday that under the President’s directive, the provisional authority granted to the PCGG to select interim replacements is valid only until December 31, 2011, unless extended by the Chief Executive.
“The President deemed it important to safeguard the interest of the country and the Filipino people in government-sequestered companies while at the same time institute measures to ensure that the operations in these companies are not disrupted.
Granting the PCGG the power to appoint nominee-directors in an interim basis allows us to balance these two objectives,” Ochoa explained.
Under EO 42 signed by the President on May 9, the provisional authority shall be exercised by the PCGG chairperson, who will name provisional nominees to positions occupied by directors in holdover capacity from the previous administration, pending permanent appointment by the President.
The PCGG can replace these nominee-directors in sequestered or surrendered corporations with up to two members of the commission on interim basis, the executive order states.
According to Ochoa, the PCGG must submit a list of temporary nominees who will replace holdover directors in various government-sequestered companies to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary.
All nominee-directors, Ochoa said, are directed to submit to the PCGG monthly reports, or as may be required, on the affairs, developments and transactions affecting the respective corporations. Subsequently, the PCGG must periodically turn in a detailed summary of these reports to the President.
EO 42 takes effect immediately upon its publication in a national newspaper of general circulation. (PCOO)
Aquino orders filing of motion for reconsideration following approval of Garcia’s plea bargaining deal
President Benigno S. Aquino III issued an order to exhaust the legal remedies available for the government by filing a motion for reconsideration before the Sandiganbayan to allow the government to intervene in the plea bargaining deal of former Armed Forces Comptroller General Carlos Garcia.
The President said he had already communicated with Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr., Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz regarding their next legal moves after the Sandiganbayan’s approval of the said deal between the Office of the Ombudsman and Garcia.
“I have tasked them to find out what else could be done,” Aquino said in an ambush interview after attending the 112th Anniversary Celebration of the Commission on Audit (COA), at the Cultural and Sports Complex along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City Tuesday.
“The President admitted that he was surprised over the decision of the Sandiganbayan approving the plea bargaining deal and the junking of the Solicitor General's (OSG) pleas, including the motion to intervene.
The agreement reportedly allowed Garcia to return to the government some P150 million believed to be ill-gotten in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense instead of plunder which is punishable by life imprisonment. As a result, Garcia was released from prison after posting bail for P60,000.
The OSG earlier asked the Sandiganbayan to nullify the plea bargain agreement, saying it is “irregular and it is not right.”
Cadiz said the OSG’s call for the Sandiganbayan justices to take a second look at the approved agreement was contained in the Urgent Motion for Leave to Intervene and Omnibus Motion-in-Intervention they filed last January.
In its motion to intervene, Cadiz said the plea bargain agreement and its approval suffer from grave legal infirmities “thereby rendering them null and void and hence, should be set aside.”
He stressed that the plea bargaining agreement was approved despite non-compliance with Section 2, Rule 116 of the Rules of Court which requires the need to get the consent of the offended party, which is the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (PCOO)
Philippines supports global action to improve road safety
Malacañang is set to unveil the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan for the next 10 years in support of a global campaign to substantially cut down road crashes and fatalities worldwide, according to Proclamation No. 159 signed by President Benigno Aquino III.
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Tuesday the proclamation declares 2011 as the launch year of the country’s strategies to make the streets safer for motorists, which will be released on May 11 to coincide the kick-off of the first global launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC). The proclamation was signed by President Aquino on April 28. “The Aquino Administration is aware of the high prevalence of road and traffic accidents in the country, which are among our major public health concerns today,” Ochoa said.
According to Ochoa, the government recognizes the need to take immediate steps to curb road accidents because “road and traffic mishaps result to a broad range of social and economic consequences that may affect the sustainable development of our country.” It is estimated that 1.3 million people die each year from road crashes globally, and experts consider road and traffic accidents to be more fatal than malaria because these continue to be the leading causes of many deaths, physical injuries, devastating damages and disabilities around the world.
In Metro Manila alone, deaths from road accidents reached 380 in 2010 according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System. In the country, the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group reports that there were a total of 14,487 vehicular accidents from January to October last year. The alarming statistics on deaths caused by road accidents prompted the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to approve a resolution in March 2010 declaring 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The landmark UN resolution – proposed to the UN by the Federation Internationale de I’Autmobile (FIA), the European Union and other international organizations and institutions – was endorsed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and signed by around 100 governments.
The FIA Foundation, a group which actively promotes road safety and motorist welfare, recommends decisive action on all aspects of road safety such as safer roads and vehicles, increased use of seatbelts and helmets, road safety management and improved responses to road mishaps, among others.
The Executive Secretary said the Philippine action plan was drafted by the Department of Transportation and Communications in partnership with the private sector.
“The issuance of the proclamation and our road safety action plan is our way of showing support for the UNGA resolution on promoting road safety, as we share the goal of the UNGA to reduce traffic fatalities around the world,” Ochoa said. “In coming up with our own national road safety strategies, plans and targets, we manifest our full commitment to the objectives of the UN resolution and we believe it would contribute to the improvement of road safety in the world,” he added. (PCOO)
