Commission on Audit XII nailed anothermilestone with the inauguration of its Regional Training Center and Dormitory Building, Standard Multi-Purpose Covered Court Building (Gymnasium), and Storage Building in its regional office compound in Brgy. Paraiso, Koronadal City, and Provincial Satellite Auditing Office (PSAO) in Alabel, Sarangani Province, in the morning and in the afternoon of April 5, 2018, respectively.ChairmanMichael G. Aguinaldo and Com.Roland C.Pondoc, alongside COA XII Dir. Susan P. Donalvo and Asst. Dir. Virginia G. Datukon, led the ceremonies. Office of the Chairman Dir. Maria Carmina Paulita J. Pagayawan, Technical Services Office Acting Asst. Dir. (former COA XII Technical Services Chief) Alia A. Masbud and other officials from COA Central Office were present.
Synergy Shines inSarGen
Sarangani Province Vice Gov. Elmer T. De Peralta, General Santos City Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera, and dignitaries from national government agencies (NGAs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government units (LGUs) flocked in the capitol grounds to witness the event.
Chairman Aguinaldo remarked:“This is a symbol of independence…We don’t have to rely on our auditees”, while underlining the indispensability of partnership with other government agencies. He stressed: “The aim is not supergalingang COA, kundi super galingang bansa.”
The construction of the PSAO aimed to boost independence by pooling in a common workplace audit teams assigned in Sarangani Province and General Santos City (Sarand Gen components of SOCCSKSARGEN region); on this regard, ARD Datukon expressed that, “it is intended to give field auditors a home.”
The two-storey structure stretches 720 square meters and houses 77 personnel. It has bed rooms which can hold up to 20 employees. It stands on a 2,807-square-meter lot under a Deed of Usufruct with the Provincial Government of Sarangani, led by Gov. Steve C. Solon.
Towards the end of the program, a ceremonial coconut tree planting transpired in the PSAO grounds to signify synergy in the government system. The coconut seedling, claimed by many Filipinos to be the tree of life, embodied the government as a whole, and its parts pointed to the different agencies.
COA Transforms Home in Paraiso
COA XII placed three more hallmarks in its regional office compound at Purok Pag-asa, Brgy. Paraiso, Koronadal City. The inauguration of theRegional Training Center and Dormitory Building, Standard Multi-Purpose Covered Court Building (Gymnasium), and Storage Buildingclimaxed with Chairman Aguinaldo, aided by Commissioner Pondoc, COA officials, and other government officials, unveiling their inaugural markers and leading the ribbon-cuttingrites.
Heads and representatives of NGAs, GOCCs, and LGUs graced the event; including South Cotabato Vice Gov. Vicente R. de Jesus, Tacurong City Mayor Lina O. Montilla, and Municipality of Tantangan Mayor Benjamin V.Figueroa, Jr.
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Director Donalvo sharedin her welcome speech: “We envisioned this to be a paradise in order to bring hope, happiness, and contentment not only to our clients but to everyone.”She conveyedthat these structures help enhance the capabilities of COA auditors and employees for the improvement of audit services.
Chairman Aguinaldo underscored COA’s independence and role in the government, stressing that, “We work together [with other agencies], but this does not mean that we compromise.” He concluded: “We are independent but we are also interdependent.”
Another highlight of the program was the signing of the Deed of Donation for a parcel of land donated by the Municipal Government of Tantangan to the Commission, represented by Mayor Figueroa and Chairman Aguinaldo, respectively. The 2,500-square-meter lot which is situated in Brgy. Paraiso, Koronadal City, will house the region’s fourth PSAO for South Cotabato Province and Koronadal City audit groups.
Each inaugurated structure hails a key area in COA’s mandate. The two-storey Regional Training Center and Dormitory Building supportssome of COA’s strategic goals.With a span of 1,368 square meters, its first floor enclosesa dormitory with12bedrooms whichcan shelter110 persons.The second floor holdsa training center for seminars and similar educational activities.The 814-square-meter Standard Multi-Purpose Covered Court Building (Gymnasium)offers a venue to honeCOA employees’ skills in sports and arts, whilethe Storage Building upkeepsCOA’s custodial function with its 66 shelves clusteredin a 240-square-meter area.
With four targetshit, including its regional office building inaugurated last year, COA XII braces for more infrastructure projects for its home in Brgy. Paraiso.
ARD Datukon ended the program with areminder: “It is not these structures that will define us; rather, it is us – the hardworking COA Family – that will define these buildings.”