COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 07 September) — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) has released a statement condemning what it described as “uncalled for” and “alarming” the retrieval of documents by a special audit team from the Commission on Audit (COA), escorted by heavily armed security forces.
In a press release dated September 5 but released afternoon of the 6th, MBHTE Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal detailed the events that occurred earlier that day at the MBHTE Main Office in the Bangsamoro Government Center.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Marines, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) entered the premises to assist the COA’s Special Auditing Team (SAT) in retrieving documents from the office of the ministry’s Resident COA Auditor.
However, Iqbal alleged a number of procedural irregularities on the part of the COA team, including the absence of the Lead Auditor from the COA Special Audit Team.
“Only a photocopy of a memorandum order to justify the operation was presented. There was lack of prior coordination with the MBHTE. There was absence of a mission order from the armed personnel and the handling of documents by uniformed military and law enforcement personnel instead of COA staff,” the statement pointed out.
The statement noted that “heavily armed law enforcement and military personnel in full battle gear” caused “disruption of work, and unnecessary fear and alarm” among employees.
The statement concluded by reiterating the MBHTE’s commitment to adhering to all lawful auditing processes while also calling for future audits to be conducted with “due regard for coordination, appropriateness, and respect for the working environment of civilian personnel.”
The ministry is currently reviewing the incident and exploring “appropriate legal remedies.”
The COA’s decision to conduct a special audit was triggered by reports that the MBHTE of its alleged P2.2 billion fund controversy.
The payout was for Learners’ and Teachers’ Kits but allegedly bypassed standard financial scrutiny and signatures, a required process to ensure the legality of government funds.
COA chair Gamaliel A. Cordoba wrote Chief Minister Macacua on August 11, that the complaints against Iqbal “require the conduct of a special audit” following a preliminary review by the COA offices, and requested assistance to the audit team for the entire duration of the audit investigation.
The P2.2 billion disbursement is the largest in a series of complaints faced by the MBHTE, which holds a substantial portion of the Bangsamoro government’s budget at over P36 billion.
This amount is almost one-third of the total BARMM budget, yet the region reportedly still has the highest illiteracy rate in the country. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)
