Bataan receives 5 star rating from COA

CITY of BALANGA, Bataan – In compliance with Section 43 of the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines (PD No. 1445), the Annual Audit Report (AAR) – electronic copy – on the audit of the Province of Bataan for calendar year 2015 was submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) regional office which received not just one, not two, but three, yes, three commendations; namely:

1. Bataan’s 2015 AAR E-copy was given a 5 Star rating by the IT of COA Region 3, making it a model or a guide for other provinces
2. Most comprehensive notes to FS, as part of the 2015 AAR of the province, done by the Provincial Accounting Office
3. Bataan and Pampanga are the first two provinces in Region 3 whose 2015 AAR are uploaded in the COA Region 3 website

Said commendations were announced during this morning’s 118^th Independence Day Celebration at the Capitol grounds, highlighted by the releasing of balloons and doves as symbols of our independence.

First District Re-electionist Board Member Aris Gaza in his short message emphasized the importance of unity in the attainment of the Province’s Vision-Mission.

Aside from compliance to the law, audit was conducted to:

1. Ascertain the level of assurance that may be placed on Management’s assertions on the financial statements
2. Recommend agency improvement opportunities
3. Determine the extent of implementation of prior year’s audit recommendation

According to Ms. Thelma Timbol, Audit Team Leader (Provincial Government of Bataan and Municipality of Pilar), the abovementioned commendations from the COA Regional Office under Regional Director Ms. Ma. Corazon S. Gomez mean a lot not only to them but to the entire province as well.

She also mentioned that despite changes in the Accounting codes and entries, to keep up with international standards, still Bataan was able to comply, submit on time and even became a model for other provinces to follow.

Ms. Josefina M. Serrano is the Supervising Auditor of Bataan.