FILE PHOTO: Handcuffed inmates in Quezon City Jail in Philippines © Reuters / Damir Sagolj
The president of the Philippines has suggested kidnapping and torturing government auditors who look too closely into how the government is spending money.
Fed up with the Commission on Audit’s (COA) constant scrutiny of government spending, President Rodrigo Duterte proposed a radical way to deal with the problem.
What’s up with this COA? What if we kidnap someone from COA, we torture them here?
The 73-year-old leader admitted he doesn’t like the “sons of b****es” always finding “something wrong” with the use of state funds, stressing that the COA’s interference is making the implementation of government policies “difficult” for local officials.
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This is not the first time Duterte has unleashed a tirade against the auditors. In September, he joked about pushing a COA representative down the stairs to help conceal government transactions in the aftermath of Typhoon Ompong.
Founded as an independent constitutional commission in 1987, the COA was granted the authority to examine, audit, and settle all accounts of the Philippines government. The agency, however, does not have the power to prosecute those accused of mishandling government funds.
Despite three decades of dedicated service, Duterte noted in the past that the commission “has not contributed to national development,” and urged local officials to ignore COA circulars.
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