COA report does not clear OVP of spending issues

The Commission on Audit’s independent auditor’s reports only assess whether government agencies prepared their financial statements properly, not whether their spendingcomplies with set standards.

A post by Facebook page OPTIC Politics on March 31, however, attached a screenshot of the independent auditor’s report on the Office of the Vice President, misleadingly highlighting certain parts to suggest that COA had cleared the OVP of irregularities.

The post’s caption, which was labeled as an editorial, falsely claimed that the opinion proved there were no anomalies in the OVP spending, stating:

The Commission on Audit (COA) has spoken—and its ruling is a devastating blow to the liars, schemers, and political parasites desperately trying to bring down Vice President Sara Duterte. With an unmodified opinion, COA has annihilated every baseless accusation hurled at her, proving beyond doubt that her office is run with honesty, efficiency, and fiscal responsibility.

… The COA audit did not just give the Office of the Vice President (OVP) a passing mark—it gave it a flawless, unblemished certification of financial integrity. This means every single peso that passed through the OVP was accounted for, legally managed, and properly allocated. It means that, unlike the snakes slithering in the halls of power, Sara Duterte does not steal, does not mismanage, and does not betray the trust of the Filipinos.

Contrary to the claim, COA’s unmodified opinion, released last Dec. 24 as part of the agency’s annual audit report for 2023, does not mean that the office’s spending was free from issues.

The COA previously clarified in 2022 that audit opinions pertain only to financial audits, which assess whether financial statements are prepared according to accounting standards, and should not be interpreted as “a rating, score or grade, with ranking of lowest to highest.” 

COA’s compliance and performance audits, which examine legality, efficiency and effectiveness, are separate from financial audits.

In this case, the unmodified opinion simply means that the OVP’s financial records were properly prepared, not that the funds were used correctly. 

In its briefer, the auditing body emphasized that the opinion:

…does not reflect the agency’s level of compliance with laws, rules and regulations reported under a compliance audit (unless these have financial impact), nor the application of the principles of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the agency’s operations reported under a performance audit.

Rappler previously fact-checked a similar claim from political blogger EB Jugalbot on Jan. 8. OPTIC Politics’ post surfaced weeks after Vice President Sara Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested and sent to The Hague by the International Criminal Court over crimes against humanity, fueling claims of political attacks against the family.

OPTIC Politics, which a Rappler report describes as a page that shares “hyperpartisan commentary favoring the Dutertes,” was created on March 24 and has 108,000 followers and 34,000 likes.

As of April 3, its misleading post has received over 7,800 likes, 1,100 comments and 17,000 shares. It has been reposted by other Facebook pages, including Eunoia and OneTV Philippines which have 1.2 million and 1.1 million followers, respectively. (EM, UP Journalism Club)