Media recall new COA Chair Calida’s dubious track record

CHEERS TO two media organizations for recalling  Jose Calida’s questionable record after he was named chairperson of the Commission on Audit (COA). 

InterAksyon’s July 1 report on the former Solicitor General’s appointment reminded the public of Calida’s having been flagged for irregularities in his former office by the agency he will be leading. Malaya Business Insight’s editorial on July 12 also recalled Calida’s history, questioning his unclear position on the publication of audit reports.

InterAksyon lists Calida’s issues 

InterAksyon’s report “Jose Calida’s COA appointment comes after audit flags vs OSG,” raised concerns about his qualifications to head the COA by recalling that under Calida’s leadership, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) had been flagged by the COA for “deficiencies and irregularities.”

Citing a COA report,  Christian Patrick Laqui noted that Calida and 15 other lawyers had received “excessive allowances and honoraria” from 2016 to 2018. COA said those allowances exceeded 50% of their basic salaries, which the commission prohibits in  Circular No. 85-25-E. Laqui duly noted the defense of those questioned: that Republic Act 9417, or the OSG Law, does not contain any text limiting OSG officials’ allowances.

Laqui pointed out that Calida, who is not an accountant, will be heading an agency traditionally led by certified public accountants. The report included criticism expressed online, including posts of human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares and former Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) JR Santiago, as well as ordinary citizens, which expressed alarm over Calida’s designation.

Laqui also recalled Calida’s partisanship, his loyalty to the Marcoses as demonstrated by his support for the burial of the remains of  Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani – which CMFR has warned could lead to the politicization of a critical agency in government and the further use of the law as a weapon to hit back at political enemies. 

Malaya sounds the same alarm 

In a July 12 editorial, Malaya took up some of these points. 

It further observed, however, how COA has retained a laid back profile in government, with little power to hold offending officials accountable, despite the power and authority that the Constitution gives it. 

It recounted how Calida had responded to COA’s questioning the high salaries and allowances that he and some officials at the OSG were receiving. OSG refuted the audit findings, saying COA “has no authority” to issue an order setting a limit on the allowances of government officials and employees under the Constitution.

The editorial detailed how Calida’s take-home pay in 2021 was higher than that of then President Duterte’s; and that his honoraria and allowances included him among the 12 top earners in government—the only official in a circle limited to top officials of the Central Bank and members of the Monetary Board. 

Concluding, Malaya’s editorial raised a valid question about his appointment: 

“Now that the tables are turned, with Calida as chief auditor and the OSG a receiver of its auditing powers, will Atty. Calida reverse the rule and negate what he had said when he headed the OSG?

“The law should be the same in most situations. What is good for the goose must also be good for the gander.”

Expressions of public approval of Marcos Junior’s appointments may have missed the great damage that can be wreaked by a bad appointment at COA.