By Junex Doronio

FOR SUGGESTING THAT the Commission on Audit (COA) should only exclusively release its final reports to prevent public officials from being harmed by potentially malicious reports, some netizens “mercilessly” slammed erstwhile matinee idol and now Leyte Congressman Richard Gomez for being “balat-sibuyas” (onion-skinned) to criticisms.

“Sana COA will only publish its final report….Sa ganun wala nang masyadong masaktan. Ang problema pag andyan na yung observation memo, nag-exit conference na, at ipublish ito dyan na dumarating yung mga kalaban mo sa pulitika..sasabihin ito yung mga maling ginawa nitong opisyal na ‘to. And it appears to the public eye na mali talaga yung ginawa mo,” Gomez lamented during the recent budget hearing for the Office of Ombudsman at the House of Representatives.

It can be recalled that last year, during Gomez’s tenure as mayor of Ormoc City, COA raised concerns about missing donations.

Gomez claimed that it was merely a COA observation, and no adverse or negative findings were included in the final audit report.

But apparently Gomez’s star no longer shines among netizens.

In a tweet, a certain Ben Bernabe assailed Gomez for seemingly seeking special treatment for COA to protect his feelings.

“Kung ayaw mong masaktan Goma, you have two options: 1. Ayusin mo ang trabaho mo. 2. Wag kang magpolitika. COA pa talaga mag-aadjust? Ano ka, special? Magsama kayo ni Inday Sara. Dun kayo sa far away!”

Environmental advocate and Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) 2022 senatorial candidate David D’Angelo also tweeted, saying that the COA should remind public officials to adhere to government rules and regulations.

“That’s why the public official should adhere to all the rules and regulations of the COA. Hindi ba yun naman ang dahilan bakit may COA, to make it a deterrent against corruption in government,” D’Angelo said.

@plantlex ridiculed Gomez for his remarks about “hurt feelings,” arguing that he should never have pursued a career in public office.

“Ano daw ? You are spending funds derived from the hard-earned money of the people, tapos masaksaktan ka? Better for you not to run in government office. You are rendering lip service to your constituents.”

Hitting the nail’s head, so to speak, @noelledeg pointed out that politicians with “balat sibuyas” should never have entered public office in the first place.

“Masaktan na ang dapat masaktan ng katotohanan. Kung balat-sibuyas ka huwag ka maging public official.”

(ai/mnm)