The Commission on Audit (COA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that it has a shortage of field auditors, admitting that this can be characterized as a ’cause for concern.’
COA assistant commissioner Lorna Cabochan said this during the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations’ 2027 budget hearing for the commission on Tuesday, after Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendeña asked if the commission’s manpower gap had already been addressed from 2025 to this year.
Cendeña raised the question when he mentioned COA’s report last year that it had only two auditors assigned to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s First District Engineering Office of Bulacan, which has been at the center of the flood control corruption scandal.
According to Cabochan, out of COA’s 716 recently deducted plantilla positions, 332 personnel have been restored by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in July.
When asked how many positions the COA still needs, she said, ‘It’s still almost 400.’
Meanwhile, when Cendeña furthered his interpellation and asked if it was a ’cause for concern,’ the COA official answered in the affirmative.
‘Because the agencies po are adding and as present po medyo kulang na rin po ang mga auditors natin in the field,’ Cabochan explained.
(Because the agencies are adding and as of now, we are also somewhat lacking in auditors in the field.)
Cabochan also said that some of their former auditors decided to leave COA for higher-paying jobs or flexible working positions.
Some of the other auditors, she said, are even considering retiring ‘as soon as they reach 60.
‘Though we are continually recruiting po, meron din po kasing separation through transfer po sa ibang government agencies and resignation,’ the COA assistant commissioner likewise pointed out.
(Although we are continuously recruiting, there is also separation through transfer to other government agencies and resignation.)
After hearing this, Cendeña emphasized that the current state of manpower in the commission is ‘alarming,’ pointing out that ‘it’s still lacking to this day.’
‘Ngayong 2027 po, may proposed P107 billion pesos para sa flood control under DPWH. Kapag palpak uli ang audit or kapag kulang, mabagal ang audit, repeat performance tayo sa 2025,’ Cendeña emphasized.
(This 2027, there is a proposed P107 billion pesos for flood control under DPWH. If the audit is sloppy again or if the audit is insufficient or slow, we will repeat the performance in 2025.)
‘At alam na po natin kung ano yung dahilan. Ito nga pong nabanggit natin na kakulangan,’ the lawmaker added.
(And we already know the reason. This is the deficiency we mentioned
The lawmaker then said that the government must allot additional resources to COA, noting that the commission is ‘the first line of defense’ against corruption.