Two initiatives for promoting accountability and transparency in government by allocating more funds to the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), have been included in the 2026 national budget bill.
These amendments, proposed by Parañaque Second District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), seek to provide the COA with an additional P166.68 million and the CHR with P85.86 million more by the next fiscal year.
“Our proposed increases for CHR and COA will not only help safeguard human rights and ensure accountability and transparency in government, but these are also important steps in protecting public funds and boosting our anti-corruption efforts,” said Yamsuan, one of the members of the House Budget Amendments Review sub-Committee (BARsC).
The increase of P166.68 million for COA will fund its digital transformation and shift to a technology-driven accounting system compliant with international standards, Yamsuan said.
COA’s original allocation for 2026 of P13.88 billion will slightly grow to P14.05 billion with the proposed amendments under the GAB.
“A fully modernized COA that utilizes artificial intelligence to process large amounts of data can help it to swiftly detect patterns of irregularities and fraudulent transactions. Supporting its digitalization efforts is essential to good governance. It will enhance accountability and transparency in government,” Yamsuan said.
The increase covers P109.86 million for the third-year implementation of COA’s Information Systems Strategic Plan and another P56.82 million for the procurement of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment and software, he explained.
For the CHR, Yamsuan proposed to increase the Commission’s P1.24 billion allocation for 2026 by P85.86 million.
The additional funds cover P51.81 million to expand CHR’s financial assistance program for victims of human rights violations, and P34.05 million to bolster the capabilities of its Human Rights Protection Office.
“There’s no question that we need to strengthen these offices under the CHR for the Commission to carry out its mandate of raising public awareness about human rights and investigating cases of violations,” Yamsuan said.
