In an interview with reporters, Aquino said he would have to talk to Mendoza first because she had told him that she would have to consult her family before making any decision to return to government service.

"I think as a minimum, she will be a COA commissioner. If she becomes a commissioner, then the COA chair has to be a lawyer as mandated by law," Aquino said in a talk.

"When I last talked to her, one of the things she emphasized was that she was not able to tell her family beforehand when she decided to become a witness. So she said (this time), she has to consult her family. We have not talked since them," he added.

Mendoza, a former government auditor, provided the audit reports that became the basis of the plunder charges against former Major General Carlos Garcia, the disgraced former armed forces comptroller accused of pocketing more than P300 million in military funds.

She testified in Congress to belie the Ombudsman's claim that the government's plunder case against Garcia was weak that was why it had to enter into a plea bargain with him in exchange for his return of less than half of the money he allegedly plundered.

Mendoza said that she was "praying" that she would be appointed head of COA.

Philip Tubeza, Phil. Daily Inquirer