Transparency and accountability: CHED earns second 'unqualified opinion' from COA
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Tuesday, July 9, welcomed the “unqualified opinion” from the Commission on Audit (COA) for its financial statement submitted for the fiscal year 2023.

“When I assumed CHED Chairmanship in 2018, I initiated serious fiscal accountability reforms which positively impacted our audit rating, manifested in our first unqualified opinion from COA for our financial statement in 2022,” said CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera in a statement.
CHED received the distinction for the second year in a row.
The Audit Rating, known as an unqualified opinion or unmodified opinion, is given to a “government agency by COA after concluding that the financial statements are in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework,” CHED said.
CHED highlighted that this year’s distinction, following its first "unqualified opinion" in 2022, is a “reflection of the Commission's continuous transparency and accountability” in implementing and delivering its programs and services.
“In 2023, we continued to implement reforms, including increasing our disbursement rate and complying with the shift to cash-based budgeting,” De Vera said. “We also closely monitored and improved the practices of our regional offices that continue to have audit observations,” he added.
De Vera noted that CHED has also been improving the documentation and account reporting systems of higher education institutions (HEIs) by clearing all their unliquidated funds before they can even apply for project grants.
Moreover, the Commission is implementing stricter procurement processes for CHED programs and projects.
De Vera said the COA is a constitutional body that promotes accountability in using public funds.
“CHED recognizes the vital role of COA and acts on its audit observations promptly,” De Vera said.
“We commend the work done by COA Auditor Gloria Baylon and her team, and we will continue to work with them in stamping out corruption and wastage of public funds,” he added.
Meanwhile, De Vera noted that this achievement is the “product of a team effort.”
“CHED succeeds only because of its employees in the central and regional offices, and the stakeholders in higher education institutions who are working hard to ensure that we deliver and implement our programs and projects with all honesty and fairness,” De Vera said as he thanked the entire CHED workforce and the different HEIs for their good work.
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