USAID/Philippines Integrity for Investments Initiative (i3)

Corruption restricts a country’s growth prospects by raising the costs of doing business, limiting competition and drawing resources from priority investment areas. i3 assists independent accountability offices in improving the application of anti-corruption laws, reducing opportunities for corruption, and strengthening corporate governance. One of the agencies supported by the project is the Commission on Audit, the Philippines Supreme Audit Institution (SAI). USAID, through i3, is helping the SAI implement reforms to improve its audit policy framework and operations by establishing a system for targeting high-risk programs and accounts and expanding the application of performance audit. The project also funds specialized training of state auditors and has sponsored the fellowship of select senior officials to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In September 2015, the project financed and organized the SAI’s week-long study exchange with federal and state audit agencies in Washington, D.C. The project also supported the SAI in developing its strategic plan for 2016-2022. This plan aims to support the SAI’s direction towards high-impact and risk-based performance auditing, on par with high-performing audit institutions and compliant with international auditing standards.