Belmonte Calls for Creation of Public Accounts and Audit Committee

Manila (PNA) — In order to further strengthen accountability mechanisms and ensure the proper and lawful allocation and utilization of public funds, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Monday directed the Committee on Rules to study the creation of a standing committee that would conduct legislative oversight over the use of public funds by all government agencies and functionaries.

To be called the Public Accounts and Audit Committee, Belmonte said it would have jurisdiction to call and hold to account all national government agencies, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, and other government instrumentalities for their use of public funds, and to undertake legislative action to improve transparency of government operations.

In calling for its creation, the House Speaker said that after reviewing a number of Commission on Audit reports, he noted that there are a large number of audit recommendations that are not implemented, or are only partially implemented.

Furthermore, a significant number of audit reports result only in qualified or disclaimer opinions, he added.

“These indicate possible misuse of public funds and inefficient public spending,” he said.

“This should concern us, as representatives of the people, since we gave government the authority to collect tax money from them whom we swore to serve,” Belmonte said.

He likewise called for the establishment of a framework for the conduct of continuing or year-round legislative oversight over the use of public funds by all government agencies.

The House leader said that with the committee system as the spearhead beyond budget deliberations, every House committee must now chart an oversight plan of action over departments, agencies and entities whose mandates fall within their respective jurisdictions.

“A year-round Committee-based oversight agenda will transform Congress into an effective horizontal accountability mechanism in our system of government, able to conduct early detection of waste, fraud, and mismanagement, as well as institute remedial measures against acts of malfeasance in government,” Belmonte said. (PNA) LGI/CMR