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Lack of financial documents prevents COA audit of anti-red tape agency
Lack of financial documents prevents COA audit of anti-red tape agency
The government agency tasked to ensure ease in doing business in the country failed to make it easy for Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct an audit examination of its financial transactions last year.
COA, in its 2020 annual audit report for the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), said the agency’s failure to submit financial reports and other documents required for audit “precluded the Audit Team from conducting audit of transactions and communication of noted deficiencies” in its financial dealings.
ARTA is a newly-created agency tasked to administer and implement Republic Act No. 11032 known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Services Delivery Act.
COA noted in its audit observations that ARTA failed to submit to the audit team the financial reports, vouchers and other documents for 2020.
“As of April 30, 2021, the ARTA was not able to submit the 2020 Financial Statement (FS) Reports and the Financial Accountability Reports to the Audit Team including the vouchers and other financial documents and reports,” the audit agency said.
Two months before this, ARTA officials vowed to submit the required documents on March 15, 2021 but failed to make good its promise. They blamed the pandemic and lack of manpower to work on the needed documents for this.
ARTA officials also explained that the non-submission of the required documents was partly caused by the failure of resigned personnel of the Finance and Administration to properly turnover the financial papers.
“Numerous follow-ups and reminders were made by the Audit Team for Management to submit the required FS’s and its supporting documents on or (before) April 30, 2021 and as of reporting date, but proved futile,” said COA.
Auditors stated: “The ARTA’s non-submission of financial reports and other documents prevented timely detection of any deficiency thereof and the corresponding corrective actions to be undertaken.”
Despite the failure of ARTA to comply with the audit requirement, the agency still received commendation from the COA for the”cooperation and assistance” extended by the “management and staff” to the Audit Team.