Robredo Enters Final Year of 'Rollercoaster' Term With Top COA Rating
Vice President Leni Robredo entered the final year of her "rollercoaster" ride in office with the highest rating from the Commission on Audit for the third straight year, highlighting her proper use of government funds.
The Office of the Vice President's report for fiscal year 2020 got an "unqualified opinion" from state auditors, the best rating possible. Graft watchers look to COA reports for indications of misuse or wasteful spending of government funds.
"Ang nasabing rating ay kumikilala sa masinop na pagtatala natin ng finances ng ating opisina. Itinuturing rin natin itong bunga ng pagsisikap ng OVP na siguruhing tumutupad ito sa rules and regulations ng mga oversight agencies, at pati na rin sa internal controls upang matiyak ang wastong paggastos ng pera ng bayan," Robredo said through the OVP page, noting points for improvement have also been pointed out in the audit.
The Vice President said the rating means a lot to her office, given how it was achieved during the pandemic year.
“Napakahirap ma-achieve nito during the pandemic, considering na ang daming mga hindi na predict na gastos, kasi ‘yung budget was prepared pre-pandemic pa,” Robredo said.
"Bukas rin ang OVP sa mga points for improvement na ating natanggap mula sa state auditors, at sisikaping isama ang mga rekomendasyon sa patuloy nating pagkilos para magbigay ng mahusay at maaasahang serbisyo sa publiko," she added.
Marking the start of her sixth and last year as vice president, Robredo on her personal account celebrated the last five years with a throwback photo from her inauguration. Tagging her three daughters who were also in the photo, the leading opposition figure compared her journey to a "rollercoaster ride".
For the first two year of OVP under Robredo, COA's audit noted issues of underspending (during transition year 2016 from Binay to Robredo) and delays in the liquidation of office trip expenses (in 2017).