COA audits on Bulacan flood control projects find no link to Senator Villanueva

The Commission on Audit (COA) has stated that it found no link between Senator Joel Villanueva and the flood control projects in Bulacan that are currently under its fraud audits. During a Senate hearing on COA’s proposed 2027 budget, Villanueva inquired whether the commission’s ongoing examination of flood control projects in his home province had found him connected to any of the projects under review. COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba responded that the commission had not found such a link. "We don't see any," Cordoba replied. Cordoba explained that the audits so far have focused on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which implemented the projects, and its personnel assigned to the Bulacan district. "It's really the DPWH people who implemented it because it's the budget of the DPWH and it's their personnel in Bulacan," he said. He added that Villanueva was not involved in implementing the projects and was not identified by COA in connection with the audit findings discussed during the hearing. The exchange occurred as COA reported that its fraud audits of flood-control projects in Bulacan are ongoing. Cordoba stated that the commission had so far covered "almost 50" projects and had issued notices of disallowance based on findings from some of the audits. Cordoba mentioned that COA has already submitted its fraud audit findings to the Office of the Ombudsman and can provide copies to the Senate. The commission has also been coordinating with the Ombudsman, with COA fraud auditors serving as witnesses in preliminary investigations and cases filed before the Sandiganbayan and regional trial courts. COA previously ordered a fraud audit of DPWH flood-control projects in Bulacan following concerns over the implementation of flood-mitigation projects in the province. Subsequent COA reports have flagged projects that auditors found to be nonexistent, constructed at locations different from those approved, or unsupported by required documentation. Cordoba affirmed that the commission would continue its audits, with Bulacan remaining its principal focus due to the volume of flood control projects implemented there. "Nothing will stop; it will just continue until we cover everything," he concluded. Source: GMA News Philippines