The Commission on Audit recently released audit reports on problems and deficiencies it found in how agencies of government were spending public funds.

The Department of Health, for instance, was flagged over some P67.3 billion in COVID-19 funds.

The COA also questioned the department’s plan to purchase two “high-end” computers worth P700,000.

There were many other findings and agencies were asked to explain. 

But in response, President Duterte slammed coa and asked the commission not to publish its reports because they taint agencies with “corruption by perception.”

This episode is about the implications of Duterte’s latest outburst on efforts to demand transparency, accountability, and honesty from public officials who are, after all, only expected to take care our hard-earned money and spend it wisely.