The Commission on Audit (COA) has yet to speak with Commissioner Mario Lipana about his possible resignation or early retirement, as he remains hospitalized and reportedly unable to speak.
During the House plenary debates on Wednesday, October 1, Rep. John Tracy Cagas (Davao Del Sur, Lone District) stood in as COA’s budget sponsor and answered questions on the agency’s behalf.
Rep. Leila de Lima (ML Party-list) asked for an update on her earlier request for COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba to talk to Lipana.
She and two other minority lawmakers want Lipana to address concerns about a possible conflict of interest, especially in connection with the ongoing investigation into irregular flood control projects.
Cagas, however, said he was told that Lipana remains hospitalized and is still too sick to communicate, showing the medical certificate sent to COA.
This surprised De Lima, prompting her to ask COA if they did not even try to speak with Lipana’s relatives, let alone his wife or a common friend, when the issue he faces is a matter of public interest.
‘Kailangan po kasi masettle po yung issue na ‘yan because as I said, it affects very much the commission itself. Hindi pwedeng tumagal hanging itong issue na ito,’ De Lima said. (We have to settle this issue because as I said, it affects very much the commission itself. This issue can’t be left hanging.)
Lipana’s wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, owns a contracting firm that secured over P1 billion worth of flood control projects in Bulacan between 2023 and 2025.
She served as the president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines Corp.
Bulacan is not only Lipana’s hometown, but public works officials have also accused him of receiving kickbacks from projects in the province.
De Lima also questioned why Cordoba had not communicated with Lipana in writing, given the latter’s medical condition. However, neither the budget sponsor nor the commission provided an answer.
During committee-level budget hearings, Cordoba committed to personally addressing the conflict-of-interest concerns with Lipana once the commissioner returned from medical leave. That leave was expected to end in September.
As of October, however, Lipana remains hospitalized. In the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing, state auditor Tracy Ann Sunico said Lipana was in Singapore.
Cagas only said that the COA commits to exhausting all means to communicate with Lipana.
De Lima then asked whether a motu proprio investigation has been launched into Lipana’s ties and involvement with a government contractor, to which Cagas said the Ombudsman already has.
This was already confirmed about a week ago during COA’s first round of plenary debates.
Two separate testimonies have tied Lipana to irregularities in infrastructure projects in Bulacan.
Dismissed district engineer Henry Alcantara claimed Lipana received P1.4 billion in kickbacks from local projects. In a corroborating narrative, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Usec. Roberto Bernardo said Lipana asked to be introduced to officials from Bulacan’s First District Engineering Office.
He said he referred Lipana to Brice Hernandez, another DPWH official who has since been dismissed and implicated in the flood control controversy.
Apart from the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice said it is also reviewing Lipana’s liability in the case, especially as state auditors are involved in conducting post-audits for public works projects.
De Lima warned again that if Lipana refuses to step down, Congress may have to file impeachment raps against him.