CHAIRPERSON JOSE CALLANGAN CALIDA

Chairperson Jose Callangan Calida was appointed as Chairperson of the Commission on Audit (COA) by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. vice Chairperson Rizalina N. Justol. Chairperson Calida boasts of almost five decades of expertise in the practice of law, specializing in litigation, Anti-money Laundering Law and Dangerous Drugs Law.

Prior to his appointment by President Marcos, Jr., Chairperson Calida served as Solicitor General under former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte since July 2016.  He served as Undersecretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2001 to 2004.  As DOJ Undersecretary, he was in-charge of the National Bureau of Investigation, Witness Protection, Security and Benefits Program, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, DOJ National Task Force on Terrorism and Internal Security, and DOJ Task Force on Financial Fraud and Money Laundering.  He was also head of the DOJ Action Center which extends free counseling and assistance to the public, especially to indigents.

He also served as Executive Director of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) in 2004. He conceptualized and implemented the DDB's flagship project "Barkada Kontra Droga" on drug prevention and control which was adopted as the government's model in demand reduction strategy.  It is a peer-based antidrug advocacy program empowering the youth to become change agents in their school and community. He also implemented the "Lakbay Aral Kontra Droga" program which is a preventive education guided field trip cum lecture/workshop of youth leaders and the "Lakbay Kontra Droga" nationwide caravan to heighten public awareness in the government's anti-drug policies and programs. He served as consultant of the House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous Drugs from 2005 to 2007. He was awarded the "International Award of Honor" by the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association in recognition of outstanding accomplishment in the field of Narcotic Law Enforcement.

Chairperson Calida was also a practicing lawyer of J. Calida & Associates Law Firm, with fields of expertise in litigation, Anti-money Laundering Law and Dangerous Drugs Law. He was the Senior Vice-President and General Counsel of Prudential Guarantee and Assurance, Inc. (Coyiuto Group of Companies), Chairman and President of Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency, Inc., and General Counsel of Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agency Operators, Inc. He was a founder, Chairman and President of the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International.

Chairperson Calida obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1973 from the Ateneo de Manila University College of Law where he was a consistent Dean's Lister. He passed the Bar Examinations in 1973 with ratings of 100% in Criminal Law, 90% in Civil Law, and 90% in Taxation Law. He graduated cum laude with a Major in English and Minor in Philosophy from Ateneo de Davao University in 1969. He and his wife, Milagros, are blessed with children, Michelle, Atty. Josef, and Atty. Mark Jorel.

 COMMISSIONER ROLAND CAFE PONDOC

Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc was nominated to the Commission on Audit (COA) by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 6 February 2018 and was confirmed unanimously by the Commission on Appointments on 14 March 2018, for a term of seven years expiring on 2 February 2025. Born on 18 March 1969 in Davao City, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Lawyer, Commissioner Pondoc concentrated his love for education with his Alma Mater, the University of Mindanao (UM) - Davao City, for 22 years, while in public practice to both of his professions.

He served as a professor in the Colleges of Accountancy, Law, Business Administration, Criminology and the Graduate Studies of the said institution from 1994 to 2016. He was an Assistant Dean of the College of Law and also served as Director of the Office of the Student Affairs. Commissioner Pondoc’s exceptional work as an educator was recognized by his Alma Mater which awarded him the Outstanding Employee Award in 2002, Outstanding Professor Award in 2005 and Golden Harvest Awards for his outstanding achievements as Professor in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. As Commissioner of COA, he was bestowed with the Institutional Award in 2018, the highest and most prestigious award given to outstanding alumni by the said University for his exemplary track record.

While in the academe, he also served his co-employees being the President of the UM Employees Cooperative for six consecutive years from 2005 until 2010, and he is still very active today in the Cooperative movement as member of various cooperative organizations.

He was also a National Awardee as an Outstanding Business Educator in the Field of Accountancy in the years 2004 and 2011 conferred by the Philippine Council of Deans and Educators in Business, and by the Petron Foundation. In 2020, he was a recipient of Signum Meriti Award, the highest institutional citation of honor conferred by the Saint Paul School of Professional Studies of Palo, Leyte, for his outstanding performance in the fields of Accountancy and Legal Education, and in the Government Service.

Moreover, he became a National Awardee of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) for many times in his various capacities:

• as Most Outstanding CPA in Education in 2008;
• as Most Outstanding PICPA Member in 2009;
• as Most Outstanding PICPA Chapter President in 2015;
• as Most Outstanding CPA in Government in 2018;
• an Awardee for Special Achievement in International Professional Involvement in 2021;
• as Outstanding Senior Regional Director for Southern Mindanao Region and a recipient of Most Outstanding Region Award in 2021;
• as Outstanding Chairperson of Geographical Area Office (GAO)-Mindanao and also a recipient of Most Outstanding GAO Award, also in 2021;

During the FY 2020-2021, he was the Vice-President for the Government Sector of the PICPA National Board.

Before concentrating in the academe, his first work experiences were in private companies from 1988-1995: as Accountant of the Tri-Star Corporation, as Special Assistant to the Vice-President of Eden Corporation, and also as Data Controller of Jesus V. Ayala Management Corporation, right after his graduation at the age of 19.

After he decided to leave his full-time work in the academe, he diverted his concentration to public service. Commissioner Pondoc joined the government service in 2014 as full-time Legal Officer of the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, where he also provided free legal assistance to indigent patients of the said hospital, said to be the biggest government hospital in the country today.

Prior to his nomination, Commissioner Pondoc was appointed as Assistant Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration in the Office of the President on 1 September 2016, and specifically assigned as the Assistant Deputy Director General for the Administration, Logistics and Finance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017 National Organizing Council for the entire period of the Philippine hosting of the ASEAN 2017 Summits and Related Meetings. He was directly in-charge of the logistic requirements of all conducted meetings regardless of its location in the country and the number of foreign and local delegates involved. He was also in charge of carefully and critically monitoring the proper utilization of the budget intended for the said events. As a result of his dedication and contributions toward the successful Philippine hosting of ASEAN 2017, he was recognized in 2018 as recipient of the Presidential Citation conferred by President Duterte in Malacañan Palace.

Commissioner Pondoc finished his primary education at the University of Immaculate Conception (formerly ICC) and Rizal Memorial Colleges, both in Davao City, and his secondary education at the Davao City National High School (formerly DCHS).

He was a magna cum laude graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Accounting in 1988. He obtained his Master in Business Administration in 1997, and finished his Juris Doctor for his Law course in 2001 as a recipient of the Achiever’s Award, and immediately took and passed the Bar exam of the same year. He was a recipient of the Tambuli Award as Most Outstanding Alumnus as Educator in 2009, and as Outstanding UM Alumnus Awardee in Government Service in 2019, both were given by the UM Alumni Association, Inc.

He is a Reservist of the Philippine Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and also a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser, a Licensed Real Estate Broker, as well as a member of the ASEAN Chartered Professional Accountants. He maintained his being an Accredited External Auditor by the Board of Accountancy, and, while he was in public practice, he was an Accredited Tax Practitioner by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and was an Accredited External Auditor for Cooperatives by the Cooperative Development Authority. Presently, he is the Chairperson of the Gender and Development Focal Point System Executive Committee of COA and one of the prime movers of the Integrity Management Program in the Commission.

With his mentioned work background, Commissioner Pondoc has already covered all four areas of Accountancy, namely, Commerce and Industry, Academe, Public Practice and the Government Sectors, respectively.

As the Commission is engaged as auditor of various international organizations, Commissioner Pondoc has represented COA as External Auditor of the World Health Organization and its subsidiary offices, also as Financial Adviser for various United Nations Meetings, and as Member of Commission on Finances for Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Labour Organization.

Commissioner Pondoc is married to his beautiful wife, Gilen Noval, and they are blessed with two sons, namely, Ralph Albert and Roice William.

  COMMISSIONER MARIO GONZALES LIPANA

Commissioner Mario Gonzales Lipana was nominated to the Commission on Audit (COA) by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 17 January 2022 and was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on 26 January 2022 for a term expiring on 2 February 2027 vice Commissioner Jose A. Fabia whose term ended in February 2020.

Commissioner Lipana is a career official who rose from the ranks, having joined the Commission in 1983. He has acquired more than 38 years of experience and expertise as Auditor of both local and international audits covering financial and compliance audit. He served as auditor of various government agencies, including the legislative branch, executive departments and constitutional offices. From 1997 to 2001, he was Supervising Auditor of local government units (LGUS) in the different provinces of Region IV-A or CALABARZON. He also served as Supervising Auditor of various national government agencies (NGAs) including the Senate, Office of the President and the Commission on Elections from 2003 to 2015.

He was Supervising Auditor of the City of Manila prior to his promotion as Regional Director of COA Regional Office No. IV-A and concurrent Director of the Intelligence and Confidential Fund Audit Office under the Office of the Chairperson in 2017. As head of the COA in the Southern Tagalog Region, Commissioner Lipana supervised the conduct of independent audit and review of government resources to provide timely, reliable and accurate reports to the people of the Region through quality audit services in order to establish a responsive, efficient, effective and transparent government. He also supervised the conduct of audit of liquidations relative to the confidential expenses of NGAs, LGUs and Government-Owned and/or Controlled Corporations.

Commissioner Lipana hails from San Ildefonso, Bulacan. He obtained his BSC Accounting degree from Baliwag University in 1982.