Ombudsman wants COA to keep initial audit observations privatePresident Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday announced that he has appointed Martires—his first appointee to the Supreme Court—as the country’s new corruption buster, taking the position vacated by Conchita Carpio-Morales. An Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) is a written notification by the Commission on Audit (COA) to an agency head or concerned officer informing them of deficiencies in the audit of accounts and/or submission of documents. Government agencies are required to share their yearly reports, audited financial statements, COA findings, and statements on their websites. “When a case is filed and the case is dismissed, the problem is it creates an innuendo that the ombudsman earned,” Martires added. The Office of the Ombudsman received P5-million in confidential fund in 2022 and P31 million in 2023.

Source: Philippine Star September 12, 2023 20:48 UTC