MANILA -The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) on Friday said it maintained its “unqualified opinion” rating from the Commission on Audit (COA) in 2022, owing to the agency’s “excellence and integrity” in managing its funds.
An “unqualified opinion,” deemed the highest audit rating by agencies, is issued when the state auditor finds that a government office’s financial statements are prepared “in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.”
“It will inspire us to work tirelessly toward good governance, transparency and accountability,” BFAR National Director Demosthenes Escoto said of the COA rating.
According to BFAR, this was a significant improvement from the COA’s audit report in 2021, in which only the BFAR central office was given an unqualified opinion.
In its report, the COA noted that the audit presented by the agency was “sufficient and appropriate.”
Among the government offices that received the same rating are Pag-IBIG Fund and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.