The Commission on Audit is an independent constitutional commission established by the Constitution of the Philippines

Constitution of the Philippines

The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...

. It has the primary function to examine, audit and settle all accounts and expenditures of the funds and properties of the Philippine government.

Composition

The Commission on Audit is composed of a Chairperson and two Commissioners. They must be natural-born citizen

Natural-born citizen

Status as a natural-born citizen of the United States is one of the eligibility requirements established in the United States Constitution for election to the office of President or Vice President...

s of at least thirty-five years of age, and must be either a Certified Public Accountant

Certified Public Accountant

Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...

 or a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

. The members of the Commission are appointed by the President of the Philippines

President of the Philippines

The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...

, with the consent of the Commission of Appointment, for a term of seven years without reappointment. On April 18, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...

 appointed Reynaldo Villar as chairman of the Commission until February 2, 2011, in lieu of the retiring Guillermo Carague.

Functions

The Commission has the power, authority and duty to examine, audit and settle all accounts and expenditures of the funds and properties of the Philippine government. Towards that end, it has the exclusive authority to define the scope, techniques and methods of its auditing and examination procedures. It also may prevent and disallow irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant or unconscionable expenditures, or uses of government funds and properties.

History

In 1983 the Commission hosted XI INCOSAI, the eleventh triennial convention of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions

International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions

The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions is a worldwide affiliation of governmental entities. Its members are the Chief Financial Controller/Comptroller General Offices of nations.INTOSAI was founded in 1953 in Havana, Cuba...

.