The Makati City government under the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay obtained for the second straight year the highest rating from the Commission on Audit in its Annual Audit Report on the city’s 2018 financial statements.
COA Director Adelina Concepcion Ancajas stated in her letter dated June 25 that the Auditor “rendered an unmodified opinion on the fairness of presentation of the financial statements of the city.”
An “unmodified opinion”, also called “unqualified opinion”, is the highest audit rating that can be rendered by an auditor after concluding that the financial statements of the audited entity are presented fairly and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
Mayor Binay expressed her elation over the positive audit rating gained by the city for 2018 and thanked COA for its fair evaluation.
“I am deeply heartened by this good news from the Commission on Audit. This second unmodified opinion shows that we have remained on course in espousing the principles of good governance, including transparency and accountability,” she said.
The city chief executive also thanked the various agencies of the city government for their support and cooperation in ensuring full compliance with laws on the disbursement of government funds and implementation of programs and projects.
“Getting an unmodified opinion for two years in a row is a rare achievement, and I am proud to share the honors with my fellow city officials and public servants of the City of Makati,” said Binay.
For the past three years, the city government has implemented reforms aimed to enhance transparency and efficiency in the systems and operations at City Hall. These include a Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) established at the ground floor of Makati City Hall Building II, which has served as a common site to process applications and payments and issue licenses, clearances and permits.
The city is also pursuing a ‘no-contact’ policy being pushed by the mayor to eliminate fixers and curtail corruption and abusive practices, particularly in the processing of permits. Currently being developed is an enhanced business permit and licensing system or e-BPLS, a computerized system that will provide easy access to business permits through different platforms.
The first term of Mayor Binay had been marked with other notable achievements, including posting a two-digit increase in revenue collections in 2017 for the first time after 12 years of one-digit gains. The city has also consistently surpassed its revenue targets for the past three years.
After several years, Makati reclaimed its title as the country’s richest local government unit after its assets reached P196.57 billion and was confirmed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government as the first LGU to breach the P100-billion mark.
The city Accounting Department was named one of the Most Outstanding Accounting Offices by the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines.
