By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
Getting an “unmodified opinion” from the Commission on Audit (COA) does not necessarily mean the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent its funds correctly, Malacañang said on Friday.
“Liwanagin po natin ang unmodified opinion na ibinibigay po ng COA para po hindi masyadong maguluhan ang ordinaryong Pilipino,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
“Kapag sinabi po kasing unmodified opinion, it pertains only to the financial statement presentation. So, ibig sabihin, sumunod lang po sa financial reporting framework, kumbaga iyong format. Kung ano ‘yong laman, nagbalanse.”
Castro’s statement came after the OVP had received an “unmodified opinion” from the COA for fiscal year 2024.
An unmodified opinion, also called “unqualified opinion”, is issued when a COA auditor concludes that financial statements were “prepared, in all material respects, by the applicable financial reporting framework.”
Based on the COA’s statement, “the accompanying financial assessments present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of OVP as of Dec. 31, 2024.”
The COA, however, clarified that an unmodified opinion “does not necessarily mean there were no misstatements found during the audit, nor there were no uncorrected misstatements as at year-end.”
Castro said the OVP’s right reporting of its fund use for 2024 is not tantamount to the right spending.
“Hindi po ito nagpapatunay na walang anomalya. Iba po ‘yong tama ang pag-report at iba ‘yong tama ang paggamit ng pondo,” she said, noting that the COA opinion is not about “compliance and performance audit.”
