COA to conduct fraud audit on Cagayan provincial gov't

The Commission on Audit (COA) will conduct a fraud audit on the provincial government of Cagayan in connection with its supposed illegal expenses during the 2022 campaign period, COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba said Thursday.

House Resolution 145, filed by Cagayan Representative Jojo Lara and Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Stephen Paduano, urges COA to conduct a special audit and/or fraud audit investigation into alleged illegal expenditures of the Cagayan government during the campaign period from March 25 to May 8, 2022.

“We gave instructions to our fraud audit office to conduct a fraud audit in your province,” Cordoba told the House Committee on Appropriations during deliberations on COA’s proposed P13-billion budget for 2024.

Lara said such a fraud audit on the Cagayan provincial government is necessary as it could affect the entire country.

“This is a parochial concern, but just imagine if this happened in every province,” he said.

The House joint committee on public accounts and of suffrage and electoral reforms is also investigating the alleged inaction of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the alleged distribution of cash and other forms of assistance to registered voters and barangays in Cagayan during the prohibited period from March 25 to May 9, 2022.

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba has been cited in contempt and ordered to be detained by the House panel for skipping the hearing.

Mamba, however, earlier said he cannot speak about the case as it is already pending before the court. He said doing so would be in violation of the sub judice rule.

Lara has accused Mamba of using some employees and officials of the provincial government as accomplices in making cash advances that is used in vote-buying operations.

The allegation was also the subject of a petition that sought to oust Mamba as Cagayan governor. The Comelec, however, ruled in favor of Mamba in March.

The Comelec en banc, in the said decision, said the poll body had no jurisdiction to rule on Mamba's disqualification because the petition was filed after his proclamation.

The petition for disqualification was filed by Ma. Zarah Rose De Guzman Lara, wife of Rep. Lara, via email at 6:21 p.m. of May 10, beyond office hours that ended at 5 p.m.

The Comelec said the petition was deemed received the following working day at 8 a.m. on May 11.

Mamba defeated Mrs. Lara during the 2022 Cagayan gubernatorial race.

Sought for comment regarding COA's audit, Mamba told GMA News Online: "COA is a constitutional body, that’s their call." —KBK, GMA Integrated News