http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=673453&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Whistle-blower Heidi named COA commissioner
By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) Updated April 06, 2011
MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino yesterday appointed Finance Undersecretary Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan (Eta ’73) as chairman of the Commission on Audit (COA), while whistle-blower Heidi Mendoza was appointed commissioner.
Tan replaced Reynaldo Villar with a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2015, while Mendoza was appointed vice Evelyn San Buenaventura with a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2018.
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said Tan was undersecretary of the Department of Finance until 2005 for revenue operations while Mendoza was a career officer of the COA.
Mendoza had revealed the extent of corruption in the military during her testimony before the Senate hearing on the plea bargaining agreement of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, who was accused of plunder before the Sandiganbayan.
Carandang said Tan “fits the bill” as she was chosen for her extensive accounting experience apart from being a lawyer.
He added Tan already had experience in government service and would not have any difficulty heading COA.
Asked why Mendoza was not named COA chief, Carandang said Malacañang “wanted to have a mix of people who first of all were in sync with our vision for good governance.”
“We also wanted people who had a mix of skills, administrative, operational and also investigative, which both of these two have,” he said.
“We wanted a balance of people who had proven administrative and operational experience which Grace Tan has and of course the investigative abilities and the proven anti-corruption record of Heidi Mendoza,” Carandang told a news briefing in Malacañang.
He said Tan and Mendoza are highly qualified and would make a very good team at the COA.
“We expect them to carry out the duties of COA in the proper manner and we believe they have qualifications to serve their posts,” Carandang said.
Carandang said Mendoza had proven that she was very serious about her anti-corruption advocacy.
“We believe that she will continue the efforts for good governance,” he said.
Carandang though could not tell whether Mendoza could continue to testify in Senate hearings after her appointment.
Carandang said the position of COA chief was not formally offered to Mendoza.
Former foreign secretary Alberto Romulo was also reportedly interested in the position but Carandang said he was not aware if Romulo would still be given any post.
Based on the records released by Malacañang, Tan has legal, finance, governance and administration expertise acquired from 28 years of professional work in the Philippines, United States, China and the Kyrgyz Republic.
Tan served as tax consultant and legal adviser, professor at the University of the Philippines, commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, partner at the Tan and Venturanza Law Offices, tax specialist, and associate at the Sycip, Salazar, Feliciano and Hernandez law office.
The new COA chief earned her master’s degree at New York University and graduated from the College of Law of UP, where she also finished her pre-law course in business administration.
Tan is a member of the International Bar Association, American Bar Association, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, UP Women Lawyers’ Circle and was president of the Tax Management Association of the Philippines and vice president of the Asia-Oceana Tax Consultants Association.
Mendoza, on the other hand, is also a CPA with a master’s in national security administration and public administration and is a reserve officer with a rank of lieutenant colonel.
Mendoza worked for the COA for over 20 years and had been part of fraud audit investigations of government transactions.
Before she testified in Congress, Mendoza had resigned from the COA in 2005 and worked with the Asian Development Bank.
She also had to leave her job at the ADB to appear in the congressional probes.
One of her past investigations led to the conviction of ex-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zacaria Candao for malversation of government funds worth P21 million.
Lawmakers hailed the appointment of Mendoza as COA commissioner.
Senators Vicente Sotto III and Gregorio Honasan said Mendoza as COA commissioner will help the Aquino administration in the battle against graft and corruption.
“It’s okay. It’s a very good chance for her to show her sincerity and her competence in combating graft and corruption, especially that I know that there are many local government officials that she charged before,” Sotto said.
Sotto said he respects the decision of the President to appoint Mendoza as COA commissioner.
“The general overview should be that she (Mendoza) will not show any bias or give extra protection to anyone,” Sotto said.
Sotto noted a point where Mendoza tried to elude questions during the Senate inquiry into the alleged corruption in the military, pertaining to the alleged anomalies she supposedly discovered when she was tasked to audit some of the key cities in Metro Manila.
“Was she a whistle-blower, a resource person or witness? I really do not know what her exact role was (in the exposé of corruption in the military),” Sotto said.
Honasan said Mendoza could help Congress in sharing her views on what procedures needed amendment under the Audit Code of the Philippines.
“Considering that she was a (self-confessed) whistle-blower, she might be of help in the amendments of the Auditing Code Law of the Philippines… they are outdated …especially on provisions regarding intelligence funds… endangering lives of the assets and compromising the operations,” Honasan said.
Honasan is optimistic that Mendoza can help institute change within the COA since “she is now in the position to initiate reforms effectively in the COA.” – With Christina Mendez
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