DOT receives highest COA rating for 2nd straight year

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. Photo courtesy of DOT

MANILA, Philippines — For the second straight year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has received the highest audit rating from the Commission on Audit (COA), Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat announced on Monday.

 Puyat said that DOT received from COA an ‘unqualified opinion’ on its fiscal year 2020 financial statements.

 Last year, COA also gave the agency an ‘unqualified opinion’ for its financial statements on Dec. 31, 2019.

The last time the DOT received the highest audit rating was in 2009, the agency said in a statement.

“Since 2018, it was of paramount importance for the DOT to strictly comply with the laws, rules, and regulations to ensure utmost accountability and transparency in our operations; particularly in the management of our limited financial resources,” Puyat said.

 “We did everything fairly and in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations,”  she added. 

According to  DOT, an ‘unqualified opinion’ is an auditor’s report when the financial statements of an audited agency are reported fairly and correctly, in all material aspects without identified  exceptions, in compliance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions.

“This milestone is dedicated to all employees of DOT. This is also a challenge to continue doing good. May we continue serving this country with utmost dedication to public service that is clean and untainted,” Puyat said.

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