Chairperson Gamaliel Asis Cordoba was appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as Chairperson (the equivalent of Auditor-General) of the Commission on Audit (COA) on 21 October 2022. COA is the 124-year-old Supreme Audit Institution of the Philippines.
Chairperson Cordoba currently serves as External Auditor of the International Labour Organization.
Before his COA appointment, Chairperson Cordoba, a lawyer, economist and public administrator, was the longest-serving Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). Chairperson Cordoba has the distinction of having served under four Philippine Presidents: Presidents Gloria M. Arroyo, Benigno C. Aquino III, Rodrigo R. Duterte and Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
His 13-year stint with the NTC witnessed landmark projects resulting in the country’s marked improvement in Internet speeds through the streamlining of permits for the construction of telecommunication towers and fiber optic installations. The country’s fixed broadband and mobile internet speeds remarkably improved globally under his leadership with Ookla Speedtest Global Index now ranking the Philippines 41st out of 180 countries globally for fixed broadband and 79th out of 140 countries for mobile.
Under his term, the NTC broke the long-time duopoly in the telecommunications industry by successfully selecting a third telco through a most transparent bidding process under the guidance of the International Telecommunication Union. The country also saw the adoption of the Japanese Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast System as the Philippine Digital TV Platform.
With Cordoba as Commissioner, the NTC also consistently exceeded its collection targets by an average of 132.82% annually and was recognized as a Freedom of Information (FOI) Champion for its exceptional and significant contribution to the FOI Program’s progress and development.
Chairperson Cordoba activated radio groups in times of calamities like typhoons to help victims of natural disasters and ensured that programs such as “Libreng Tawag” were available to assist the public in rehabilitation and recovery efforts.
Actively blocking online child pornography was given priority during his tenure at the NTC. Under his watch, the NTC likewise passed the audits under the European Maritime Safety Agency and obtained the requisite International Standardization Organization accreditation (ISO 9001:2008) from the Certification Body of TUV SUD Asia Pacific TUV SUD Group.
Chairperson Cordoba also served as part of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation from 2008-2009; Appointments Secretary of the Office of Philippine President Gloria M. Arroyo from 2006-2007; Undersecretary of the Office of the President from 2003-2006 and Assistant Executive Secretary from 2002-2003. He also became a Director of the Office of Presidential Chief of Staff from 2001-2002.
In the Office of the President, Chairperson Cordoba became an integral part of the Office’s day-to-day activities, formulating and implementing department strategies, objectives, and policies.
Chairperson Cordoba served in Ex Oficio capacity representing the Office of the President as Director of the Philippine National Railways; Director of the Maritime Industry Authority; Member of the Presidential Committee on Good Governance and Execom Member of the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center.
In 2010, Chairperson Cordoba was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by President Gloria M. Arroyo for his exemplary performance and service delivery to the Filipino people. He also received the Radio Award from the Ministry of International Affairs and Communications of Japan. Come November 2023, he will be conferred with “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” by the Government of Japan in recognition of his contribution to the cooperation of both countries in the areas of information and technology.
Before joining the government, Chairperson Cordoba was an Associate at the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako Law Offices, the oldest continuously operating law office in the Philippines today (since 1901). He also worked as a Tax Lawyer at the SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co., a member practice of Ernst & Young International and the country’s premier private auditing firm.
Chairperson Cordoba holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University. He also finished his Juris Doctor in 1996 from the same University and subsequently passed the Philippine Bar Examination the following year.
Chairperson Cordoba’s extensive experience in both private law practice and public service has given him a deep knowledge of institutional governance and processes. In addition, he has won the respect of his peers and clients for his integrity, humility, and acknowledgment of stakeholders’ contribution to the delivery of COA’s mandate.
Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc was nominated to the Commission on Audit (COA) on 6 February 2018 and was confirmed unanimously by the Commission on Appointments (CA) on 14 March 2018, for a term expiring on 2 February 2025. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Lawyer, Commissioner Pondoc concentrated his love for education with his Alma Mater, the University of Mindanao - Davao City, for 22 years, while practicing both professions.
Commissioner Pondoc served as a professor in the Colleges of Accountancy, Law, Business Administration, Criminology and the Graduate Studies of the University of Mindanao (UM) from 1994 to 2016. He was an Assistant Dean of the College of Law and served as Officer-in-Charge/Director of the Office of the Student Affairs. His exceptional work as an educator was recognized by the University of Mindanao who awarded Commissioner Pondoc the Golden Harvest Award for Outstanding Professor in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He was also a National Awardee as an Outstanding Business Educator in the Field of Accountancy in 2004 and 2011 conferred by the Philippine Council of Deans and Educators in Business and the Petron Foundation. Moreover, he became a National Awardee of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) three times: Most Outstanding CPA in Education (2008), Most Outstanding PICPA Member (2009) and Most Outstanding PICPA Chapter President (2015). Before concentrating in the academe, he worked for private companies such as the Tri-Star Corporation, Eden Corporation and Jesus V. Ayala Management Corp.
Commissioner Pondoc joined the government service in 2014 as Legal Officer of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), a government hospital which is located in the heart of Davao City.
Prior to his nomination, Commissioner Pondoc was appointed as the Assistant Executive Secretary (AES) in the Office of the President in September 2016 and specifically assigned as the Assistant Deputy Director General for the Administration and Logistics/Finance for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017 National Organizing Council for the entire period of the ASEAN 2017 Hosting of Summits and Related Meetings. He was directly in-charge of all logistic requirements of each conducted meeting regardless of its location and the number of foreign and local delegates. He was also in charge of carefully and critically monitoring the proper utilization of the budget intended for the said events.
Commissioner Pondoc finished his primary education from the University of Immaculate Conception (formerly ICC) and Rizal Memorial Colleges, and his secondary education from the Davao City National High School (formerly DCHS). He was a magna cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Accounting degree in 1988. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 2001 as a recipient of the Achiever’s Award and his Master in Business Administration (MBA) in 1997. In 2009, he was a recipient of the Tambuli Award as Most Outstanding Alumni by the UM Alumni Association, Inc. He is also a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser and a Licensed Real Estate Broker.
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.