BFAR earns highest CoA audit rating for 4th straight year

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has secured the Commission on Audit’s (CoA) Unmodified Audit Opinion, the highest audit rating, for the fourth consecutive year, reflecting its commitment to fiscal integrity and clean governance.

The distinction covers the Bureau’s Consolidated Annual Audit Report, including financial operations of its Central Office and all 16 regional field offices nationwide.

The CoA’s Unmodified Audit Opinion — often referred to as a “clean opinion” — is the highest level of audit approval that independent state auditors award a government agency. This recognition is a stamp of approval signifying an agency’s fair presentation of financial statements and adherence to government accounting standards.

For BFAR, this audit approval affirms that its spending of public funds is above board and its financial reports are reliable, accurate, and free from material misstatements.

“We thank the Commission on Audit for recognizing the bureau’s efforts to utilize public funds in an honest and transparent manner. This achievement honors the hard work of our personnel in the central office and across the region to uphold the highest standards of public service,” said BFAR Director Elizer Salilig said.

“We remain committed to sustaining these standards as we continue to fulfill our mandate of serving the Philippine fisheries sector.”

By maintaining a clean financial record since 2021, BFAR continues to prove that program implementation in the fisheries sector can go hand-in-hand with meticulous and transparent bookkeeping.

“We achieved this milestone because of the dedication and integrity of the entire BFAR family. They are the backbone of the agency’s pursuit of institutional excellence,” Mr. Salilig said.

Mr. Salilig reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to fostering sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture development, and livelihood support in fishing communities across the country, all while ensuring that every peso of public funding for BFAR directly benefits the sector.

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