Presses COA audit, submission of annual report of PRC on how it utilized gov’t funds
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte warned the Philippine Red Cross to submit to a government audit and give an account of how it had utilized government funds given to them, or he would cut all government transactions with it altogether.
In his “Talk to the People” aired on Sept. 11, Duterte also directed the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct an audit of government funds given to the PRC chaired by Senator Richard Gordon.
He had previously cited provisions in the law that allows COA to do such an audit of non-government organizations which had benefited from government funds.
Duterte also directed the Red Cross to submit an annual report, contradicting claims by Gordon that the PRC is totally independent from government.
“In the law creating the Red Cross, the Red Cross must submit to the President an annual report. Since then, wala akong natanggap, anim na taon na ako. Mr. Senator Gordon, nasaan na ang report?” he said.
-Duterte: Red Cross subject to gov’t audit on public fund use-
The President pointed out that PRC is not totally independent from government because it has been receiving government funds and other aid.
“Why would you say now that the government of the Republic of the Philippines cannot conduct an audit sa Red Cross because it is totally independent?”
“It is not totally independent because you have been receiving financial aid from the Republic of the Philippines,” Duterte said.
He said the PRC is also getting funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
“So you have been receiving financial aid from the Republic of the Philippines. At kumukuha ka pa dyan sa PCSO ng pera. Now any money belonging to the government of the Republic of the Philippines given to an agency, whatever be the nature, if your are operating here, and you receive the money and spend it, you are accountable to the government, and therefore an audit is in order,” Duterte explained.
-Duterte says he’s ready for a quarrel if PRC refuses audit-
“So in the coming days, I will write you a letter to open up your records,” he said.
The 76-year old Philippine president who is on his last year in office said that he would also request COA chair Michael Aguinaldo to do an audit of the public funds given to PRC.
Duterte said that if Gordon and the PRC resists an audit, he would stop the national government from giving any more funds to the organization.
He said that he does not care anymore if the senator will create a controversy out of his statement because he believes he is on the right track.
“If ayaw mo, mapipilitan akong to totally disassociate with you. I will stop the national government and all from having transactions with you in any manner. Wala akong pakialam, hindi ako magbigay ng pera sa iyo,” he said.
“As far as I am concerned, Red Cross does not exist,” he said.
“Either you submit to auditing procedures, or we quarrel. Pag mag-quarrel, you do your worst, and I’ll do mine.”
Earlier, the Philippine Red Cross expressed it solid support for Gordon’s leadership of the PRC.
It said that the bulk of its funds comes from private partners and donations, and that only a small percentage comes from the government.
The PRC statement also said that it has properly liquidated funds that it had received from the government.
President Duterte’s demand for a COA audit on PRC came in the midst of the controversial investigation of Senator Gordon’s Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which is conducting hearings on how the Department of Health (DOH) and the government in general has been utilizing the government’s funds in its anti-COVID response.
Malacanang has said that it is submitting the required weekly reports on the fund utilization to Congress.
Duterte accused the senators of engaging in politics during the hearings, and complained that they have been hampering essential work of government officials who had to attend to the hearings instead of focusing on work to fight the pandemic.
(Eagle News Service)