The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was chosen as one of the government agencies with outstanding accounting offices for 2021. making it the first-ever big national government agency (NGA) to bag the plum for exhibiting the highest quality standard in compliance with the stringent government rules on financial reporting.
DILG Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ C. Abalos, Jr. has expressed gratitude to the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines (AGAP) for bestowing the honor, describing it as a testament of the DILG’s commitment to quality, timeliness and accuracy in its finances from the Central Office down to the regional and field offices.
“Our sincere appreciation to AGAP for this award. Rest assured that the DILG will continue to promote transparent, sound and excellent fiscal management in the department from the Central Office down to the field offices,” Abalos said.
He also cited Assistant Secretary for Administration, Finance and Comptrollership Ester A. Aldana and all the DILG accounting personnel nationwide for demonstrating integrity and commitment to respond to the challenges and demands of ensuring sound and efficient fiscal management and operations within the department.
Abalos stated that the award signifies that the DILG accounting office truly embodies the Department’s core values of dedication to public service, integrity and innovativeness, leadership by example, good governance, client-focus and organizational competence and effectiveness.
In a letter, AGAP national president Tina Rose Marie Canda said that the DILG was chosen by the Commission on Audit (COA) as one of the awardees for its quality, timeliness, and accuracy of CY 2021 financial reports.
Aldana, who received the DILG’s award, said AGAP was “an institution that promotes the interest of government accountants and improves the practice of government accountancy.”
“It is gratifying, motivating, and reassuring to see all the awardees whose respective accounting offices were chosen by COA. Your collaborative efforts and resolve contributed greatly in the pursuit to come out with quality, accurate, and truthful financial reports,” Aldana said.
She said the awardees were chosen based on the recommendation of the COA, whose criteria for judging include unqualified COA findings and the accuracy and timeliness of submission of financial reports.
Aldana urged the heads of agencies, local chief executives, agencies, bureaus, and Departments to be “models and be the embodiment of adored and respected public servants.”
Aside from DILG, other AGAP awardees include one corporate government sector, 22 NGAs, and nine local government units.
AGAP is an association of over 10,000 accountants, budget officers, supply officers, cashiers and all personnel belonging to the finance group from the national government agencies, local government units and government-owned or controlled corporations. (Chito A. Chavez)