Ang Joint Circular 2015-01 ay nagtatalaga ng mga partikular na aktibidad kung saan ang mga confidential fund ay maaari at hindi maaaring magamit. Hindi ito nagbibigay ng kapangyarihan na magpasya sa mga LGU na gumastos ng mga confidential fund sa paraang gusto nila.
Joint Circular 2015-01 prescribes specific activities where confidential funds can and cannot be used. It does not give LGUs discretion to spend confidential funds the way they want to.
Sa isang pagdinig ng House appropriations committee noong Setyembre 11, hiniling ni Ombudsman Samuel Martires sa Kongreso na tanggalin ang utos sa Commission on Audit na ilathala ang Audit Observation Memorandum nito dahil lumilikha ito ng mga pahiwatig na nasuhulan ang kanyang opisina para ibasura ang kaso samantalang ang kakulangan sa audit ay hindi pagsumite lamang ng mga resibo.
After calling on Congress to remove from the General Appropriations Act a provision requiring the Commission on Audit to publish Audit Observation Memorandum, Ombudsman Samuel Martires changed his tune two days later, saying that what he actually meant was the removal of the requirement to publish COA’s Annual Audit Reports.
Mali ang pahayag ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri noong Nob. 7 na maaaring gamitin ang confidential funds sa pagkukumpuni ng mga silid-aralan.
A 2015 Commission on Audit (COA) set of guidelines defines confidential expenses as lump sum amounts for “surveillance activities in civilian government agencies.” It categorically states that “in no case shall (confidential or intelligence funds) be used for … construction or acquisition of buildings or housing structures.”
Ano ang mga confidential at intelligence funds at para saan ito magagamit?
What are confidential and intelligence funds? For what can these be used?
In its 2021 audit report, COA ordered NYC to refund certain amounts of unauthorized or unsubstantiated prepaid load cards as well as irregular and unnecessary expenditures. It had previously issued notices of disallowance after flagging excessive claims of travel and meals in 2018 and “expenses not in accordance with existing government rules and regulations” in 2019.
Bilang pagtugon sa mga alegasyon ng katiwalian sa National Youth Commission (NYC), sinabini Chairperson Ronald Cardema na walang mga notice of disallowance na inilabas angCommission on Audit (COA) sa ahensya. Ito ay hindi totoo.