Manila, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and strict implementation of governing policies in spending of funds.
This is in line with the report released by the Commission on Audit (COA) that found P201.86 million unliquidated cash advances and P72.89 million unauthorized bank accounts monitored during the 2024 audit.
The COA report also revealed that 82.36 percent of this amount were past due, while other advances remain unsettled for as long as 43 years.
The COA also warned that the said funds may have been used for assets and expenses that were misstate.
According to the AFP’s response, the armed forces have already implemented ‘corrective measures’ including withholding the salaries of the accountable officials, issuing demand letters, and pursuits administrative and legal remedies to those with outstanding obligations under the AFP Accounting Center and the AFP Finance Center.
The AFP is also assured to continue its efforts to track the accountable officials who are no longer in the service to recover the funds in pursuance of the COA’s directive.
The armed forces management is also ensuring that the financial system, internal controls, and accountability mechanisms are further tightened to prevent recurrence, and to maintain the reform that supports the welfare and well-being of AFP personnel.—Alvin Pelobello, Eurotv News