New Elected COA Chairperson, an Ex-Davao City Accountant
By Miraflor Anacio
Former Davao City accountant Rizalina Justol is the new chairman of the Commission on Audit (COA), after President Rodrigo Duterte signed her appointment on February 17 and Malacañang officially announced it a day after. Justol replaces COA chairman Michael G. Aguinaldo, whose seven-year term ended on February 2.
Nepotism in practice
Justol worked as city accountant of Davao under which President Duterte was then mayor. She was later appointed as deputy executive secretary for finance and administration under the Office of the President, the position she will leave for the COA chairman post.
Justol is among Davao city officials, including President Duterte, that face plunder and malversation raps in 2010. This is for misusing P2.93 billion in public funds from 2003 to 2006 and the misappropriation of P11.5 million in the city’s Special Education Fund, as reported by COA.
Another Duterte ally
Justol is not the first appointee connected to the president. Recently, Duterte appointed Maria Belen Acosta as chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority. Acosta was Davao City Council prior to the appointment.
Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, author of the ruling of the poll body’s First Division dismissing three disqualification petitions to presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was also appointed by President Duterte. Before the appointment, Ferolino was Davao del Norte’s provincial election supervisor.
Standing against the new appointment
In response to the appointment, several mass organizations condemned and opposed the appointment of the new COA Chairperson. Laban ng Masa, a Philippine national mass movement-based political center, said that it is absurd that Justol was the new chairperson of the same office which accused her of graft and corruption.
“It is absurd to entrust the leadership of a commission tasked with maintaining the veracity of the accounts and expenditures of the government to a person who is under suspicion of graft by the same commission, which led to the filing of charges by the Ombudsman,” an excerpt from Laban ng Masa February 18 statement.
In addition, Laban ng Masa also mentioned that the new appointment was Duterte’s way of extending his power and extending the impunity in all government agencies; that Duterte is not contended with threatening the COA executives and now intends to undermine COA’s express mandate by appointing a friendly official with a dubious record.
The COA was previously attacked by Duterte after they questioned several deficiencies in some government transactions. This includes the 2021 report that led the Senate to investigate Pharmally and the Department of Health (DOH) transactions.
