Whistleblower Heidi Mendoza appointed COA commissioner

(SPOT.ph) Former Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Heidi Mendoza will be back at the COA as a commissioner after being appointed by the Aquino administration yesterday, reports Inquirer.net. She will replace Evelyn San Buenaventura and her term will end on February 2, 2018.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said in an ABS-CBN News report, "I think Ms. Mendoza, as we have seen, has proven that she is very serious about anti-corruption. We believe that (in) COA, she will continue the efforts for good governance."

In February, Mendoza made headlines when she testified in the high-profile plunder case against former military comptroller Carlos Garcia. According to ABS-CBN News, she worked for the COA for more than 20 years before she resigned in 2005 and went on to work at the Asian Development Bank.

Carandang said Mendoza was considered to head the COA but the administration appointed former Finance Undersecretary Grace Pulido-Tan to the post. "We wanted a balance of people who have proven administrative and operational experience, which Grace Tan has, and of course the investigative abilities and the proven anti-corruption record of Heidi Mendoza."

For more on this story, log on to Inquirer.net and ABS-CBN News.