‘Bise Ako Ngayon, I-Audit Kita, Gusto Mo?’ Netizens Taunt Rody On Social Media; Leni Asks Gov’t Officials To Bare SALNs

Netizens have been jeering at President Duterte since he announced on Tuesday, Aug. 24 that he would run for vice president in next year’s elections and would become chief auditor if he wins.

On social media, netizens said Duterte got big shoes to fill as Vice President Leni Robredo is able to implement programs and projects even without much budget.

On Thursday, Aug. 26, Duterte asked Chief Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo as to who audits the Commission on Audit as he had been questioning its adverse reports against various government agencies. Panelo said there was none.

“Somebody should do it. I will do that if I become vice president,” Duterte commented. “I’ll be the one to audit all agencies of government. I’ll start from mine.”

Former COA commissioner Heidi Mendoza said on Friday, Aug. 27, the commission is also subjected to an internal audit. The COA uploaded the audit of the commission on Friday, with certain items also pointed out.

Caricatures of Duterte and Robredo having a made-up conversation about auditing has been circulating because of this. “Kung manalo akong bise, i-audit ko ‘yang COA at lahat ng opisina,” read Duterte’s line in the fictitious exchange, to which Robredo replied: “Bise ako ngayon, i-audit kita, gusto mo?”

On Sunday, Aug. 29, Robredo dared Duterte and other government officials to make public their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) for the sake of transparency and to prove that the administration is serious in its anti-corruption drive.

Robredo refuted Duterte’s statement regarding COA, saying the Office of the Vice President has no mandate to audit government agencies.

“The job of auditing is given to a constitutional body. Why is that? To give independence, so other branches of government won’t have a hand in it,” Robredo said during her weekly radio program over dzXL.

Duterte has criticized the COA after the release of its 2020 report and findings of multibillion- peso deficiencies in the financial management of various government units, including the Department of Health.

Robredo said there are ways for the Duterte administration to prove that it is really for anti-corruption, including the release of the President’s SALN and COA reports.

She also advised other government officials to comply with COA’s requirements and make public their SALN as she emphasized that anti-corruption efforts must begin with the Office of the President.

Duterte has not released his SALNs since 2018.

He reported a net worth of P28.5 million in his SALN that was released in 2017.

Sen. Leila de Lima, whom Duterte accused of corruption and involvement in illegal drugs, also asked Duterto bare his SALNs.

Duterte said the Department of Justice (DOJ) under De Lima made an unliquidated cash advance of P617.44 million in 2013.

De Lima is one of the staunch critics of Duterte. She believes she is being politically persecuted as she she was detained on what she claimed by trumped-up illegal drug charges and other cases.

“These are unliquidated cash advances. This is really stolen money. Duque made cash advances for purchases,” Duterte said. “It’s good for the Filipinos to know who the thief is…I feel sorry for the Filipinos, they are really battered,” he added.

Based on reports, however, the DOJ, in 2014, denied accumulating P617.44 million in unliquidated cash advances and that the was only P890,000.

De Lima posted on Twitter on Wednesday, Aug. 25, that Duterte's accusation against her and “regarding COA's past reports on our agencies is just plain rich in irony and hypocrisy” as he could not even publicly disclose and release his own SALNs.

To disprove the corruption allegations, De Lima implied that people could check the SALNs they filed each year during the time of the late former president Benigno Aquino III.

“Malinaw sa aming mga SALN na hindi namin pinagkakitaan ang gobyerno. Ikaw kailan mo ilalabas ang iyong SALN?” De Lima asked.