VALEDICTORY SPEECH
Flag Ceremony / End of Term
2 February 2015
Maria Gracia M. Pulido Tan
Chairperson, Commission on Audit
My dear Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners,
Directors, Auditors, Technical Staff, Finance and Administrative Staff,
Fellow COAns, Friends:
Exactly three years and 290 days ago today, on 18 April 2011, I stood before you in this
same spot as your brand new Chairperson. Today, I bid farewell and thank each and
everyone of you for a most fulfilling and memorable chapter of my life.
I told you then that I accepted the position only because of my conviction that it was
God’s will for me, and not for power, fame and riches. It was true then and it still is now.
Hence, I leave without any regret or attachment, only joy and fulfillment that in the 3
years and 290 days that I was here, I was able to do what I told you then we would –
together.
First, to bring to our countrymen the COA that our Constitution has ordained it to be.
Perhaps, you will agree with me that during my term, nakilala ng bayan ang COA
through its hard and biting work. More significantly, nakita at nadama ng bayan ang
isang tunay na malayang Commission on Audit; hindi tumitiklop o natitinag sa mga
batikos at pananakot; hindi nasisilaw sa salapi at posisyon; hindi nangingiming humarap
kaninuman, tanging sandal ang katotohanan at walang pagiimbot na pagsilbi sa bayan.
Second, to “be relentless and bold”. Walang patid nating tinutukan at binusisi ang mga
dati ay iniiwasan o sadyang ayaw nating pansinin na mga usapin at paggastos ng pera ng
bayan. Binalikan natin ang mga nakalampas sa masusi at matapat na pagsusuri. We
asked our own ranks to account for their lapses and outright misconduct, and did not
hesitate to impose corresponding disciplinary action. I was so amused to find, during
your despedida for me, that “administrative investigations” was among the top five
things you will most remember me for. It must have made such an impact and I hope,
more than the remembering, lessons have been learned, specially that there is always a
time of reckoning, at hindi natutulog ang Diyos.
Third, and most importantly, to “fastidiously work on ourselves and strive to grow each
day in professionalism, patriotism and integrity”. Sinikap kong ipatupad ito with
concrete and commonsensical measures. Isa na diyan ang mga administrative
investigations na ang overreaching objective ay hindi magparusa for the sake of
punishment, but to break the culture of impunity, weed from our ranks the bantay
salakays, remind everyone that our work is imbued with the highest degree of the
people’s trust for which we are accountable, and to be fair to those who walk the
straight and narrow path.
Pinutol natin ang kultura ng political patronage, pakikisama at utang na loob for selfaggrandizement. Sinabi ko sa inyo na magtiwala kayo sa sarili niyong kakayahan at
kwalipikasyon, hindi sa mga endorsement ng mga pulitiko o mga boss. Pinanindigan ko
‘yon sa kabila ng hirap sa sarili kong katayuan. Ngayon, hindi ba kayo mas masaya at
katuring-turing na mga tunay na professionals, dahil wala na kayong kailangang
pagkautangan ng loob na dati ay pinagkakagastusan pa?
At bugso nito, we were also able to discover gems of public servants among you, long
denied their rightful recognition, at pinalutang natin sila sa mga nararapat na mga
posisyon. Oo, may mga ilang nakalusot, but where are they now in the organization?
Hindi rin ako nangiming magre-shuffle, magre-shuffle at magre-shuffle, hindi natinag sa
mga pakiusap, reklamo at mga naglipanang white, black, red paper, ano pa man ang
itawag. Karamihan nito ay nagpatunay lamang na tama ang pagkare-shuffle nila, sa
kababaang uri pa lamang ng lenggwaheng ginamit – dapat, naging scriptwiter na lang
sila ng telenovela o di kaya’y nagsulat sa tabloid, sa halip na magtrabaho sa COA. Rest
assured that I reviewed every proposal and went out of my way to assess performance.
Our greatest limitation was that we had to work within the human resources na
dinatnan ko na, and you all know what that entailed. All in all, I hope you will agree with
me when I say that we had more, much more successes in finding the appropriate fit.
But I did not come to COA for the sheer pleasure of shaking you up. I believe that along
with a no-nonsense attitude in dealing with misfits, we needed to reform, as I promised
you in 2011, our organizational structure, policies, systems and procedures to make us
more effective, efficient and independent as an institution, narrow if not altogether
close the opportunities for misbehavior, and appropriately recognize and reward good
performance. I also promised that we will continuously upgrade our capabilities, build
capacity and excellence, and professionalize our ranks. For us to credibly and effectively
call others to account, we must know from where we speak of, and our methods fair,
transparent and consistently applied.
And we did so, with loads of projects, programs and activities that saw big changes in
how you were organized, how you were equipped, and how you were doing things
before I came. Hindi nga tayo magkaugaga sa dami. I will not even mention them here
now, but check our website, as I asked our ITO to post the matrix of PAPs under our
Strategic Plan, whether completed, ongoing, or on deck. Ako mismo nagulat sa dami ng
ating naisagawa at nabuo, and I hope that all of these prove to you, that yes, YOU can.
We pretty much relied on our human resources and talent pool, and worked within the
constraints of our budget. We saw that if we work as a team, give the tasks our time and
attention they require, and transcend our personal interests for the common and larger
goals, we can overcome the impediments to efficiency, effectiveness and excellence. Of
course, some worked harder than others, and went out of their way to think out of the
box; sa inyo, I take my hats off and pray that the laggards will be inspired by your
example and catch up one day soon, para naman ma-experience din nila ang
pakiramdam ng tunay na fulfillment sa trabaho at pagkatao, for none can be as noble
and edifying to a public servant as having given his/her best.
I also told you that we will “engage citizen participation and keep them informed of the
workings of the Commission within the bounds of due process and confidentiality
requirements.” Inilunsad natin ang Citizen Participatory Audit in 2012 and within a
year, we were honored with the “Bright Spot” award in London. It is the only citizen
audit of its kind in the world right now and we did it without ceding our audit authority,
nor sacrificing professional standards. Many SAIs the world over have taken great
interest and we have been asked to make a presentation in the Joint Conference of the
UN and the INTOSAI in March this year. Again, my special thanks to all of you who gave
it a chance and help me develop and implement the program. We are now on Phase II,
which is the nationwide rollout on a regional basis of the pilots, and the farm-to-market
roads audit. The CPA is now under the operational management of the Special Audits
Office and has been appropriated a modest budget as part of its institutionalization.
Kayo ang nagdala ng katuparan ng lahat ng mga ito, by giving me at least the benefit of
the doubt that I will lead you to better times and conditions, and by cooperating maski
di niyo masyadong feel. Maraming salamat sa inyong pagtiwala at pagtalima, it was
enough for us to have made a big leap forward. For those of you who may not have
heard yet, we received a rating in 2013 of +22, from only +8 in 2009 per the SWS survey
of best performing anti-corruption agencies; and rose from number 31 in 2012 to
number 12 in 2014 – that is in a span of two years – in the Makati Business Club’s
perception of government performance. Congratulations for a job well done, and keep it
up!
I wish to specially thank Commissioner Heidi, who was with me from the very
beginning, for unselfishly sharing with me her intimate and deep knowledge of the COA
and its work, for wholeheartedly supporting me carry out our reform agenda, and for
tirelessly and competently working on every assistance I asked of her. Thank you, too,
Commissioner Joe, for accepting the challenge to work for a COA all of us can be proud
of. Thank you very much also, to all the AsComs and Directors who dared to break
barriers with me, explore uncharted waters, and adopt innovative measures to bring the
Commission on Audit to the consciousness and appreciation of our countrymen. They
have worked truly hard, kahit na walang honorarium or special bonus, marami pang
natanggap na sermon at katarayan.
Maraming salamat din sa organic staff ng CHO, na umaruga sa amin, bore with me and
my staff and our idiosyncracies. You gave us a home, you gave us your hearts; we will
forever treasure and remember with special fondness.
The work does not end, however, with the expiration of my term. I am not the
Commission on Audit; I was only your Chairperson from 18 April 2011 to today, 2
February 2015 – or was it yesterday? In this capacity, I was merely your caretaker and
leader for that period. Kayo ang tunay na Commission on Audit, you who have made
COA your life career and calling, and have sworn to serve with utmost dedication and
faithfulness. Let it therefore be also your pride and fulfillment. As such, make it so, its
future is in your hands and minds and hearts. Chairpersons – and even Commissioners –
will come and go, with their own priorities, agenda and approaches. But the mandate
and independence of the Commission are etched in the Constitution and will remain so
until our people say otherwise. Hence, nasa inyong pagpapasiya at pagsisikap na
patuloy na isulong ito, ipagtanggol at isakatuparan.
I was privileged and honored enough to have had my time as your Chair, and I can
honestly say to everyone of you that I made good that time and used it well, with your
trust and cooperation. I have shown you the way: a truly independent COA; a truly
effective audit; a truly efficient, dedicated and faithful workforce; integrity as a way of
life – these are no longer just dreams or aspirations, we have made them possible in
very concrete and palpable ways. Sana, magising na ang mga patuloy na nagtutulogtulugan, ang mga nananatiling pasaway sa hanay natin. Hindi po nakakahiya o kasalanan
ang magising, tumalikod sa dilim, at makiisa. Isipin niyo na lamang ang mga anak at apo
ninyo, sila ang aaani sa itinatim natin ngayon. At isipin natin na tayong lahat ay may
hangganan, at wala tayong madadala. As I said on my first day – and let me end with
this same thought which I leave with you: “May we not forget that we are but pilgrims
on this earth and that we will pass this way only once, so whatever good we can do, let
us do it now. Fame, power and fortune will surely pass, but the legacy of an honest and
competent public service will live forever.”
Muli, maraming maraming salamat, and may God bless the Commission on Audit and us
all.