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Bilibili, et. al. vs. COA [CONCURRING OPINION, LEONEN, J.]

GLADYS MINERVA N. BILIBLI, DARROW P. ODSEY, AND ZENAIDA BRIGIDA H. PAWID, PETITIONERS, VS. COMMISSION ON AUDIT, RESPONDENT.

G.R. No. 231871 | 2021-07-06

CONCURRING OPINION


LEONEN, J.:

Petitioners in this case are officials and employees of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), who had a lofty goal: the development of skills and competencies for the NCIP to better serve indigenous peoples.

A scholarship program was provided for these officials and employees. However, the Commission on Audit issued a Notice of Disallowance on the ground that there was no basis for the NCIP to allocate funds for the scholarship program.

I join the very enlightened ponencia of my esteemed colleague, Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, in excusing the recipients of the scholarship funds, as...