The Office of the Vice President insisted that the 2024 audit report from the Commission on Audit found no loss or wastage of government funds. The OVP described the issues as mainly administrative and agreed to implement all recommendations. However, the COA highlighted problems in program guidelines and low budget utilization.
In a statement, the Office of the Vice President explained that the COA audit's primary objectives were to ascertain the level of assurance on the financial statements, determine the propriety of transactions and compliance with applicable laws, and recommend improvement opportunities for the agency.
"The OVP highlights that there were no findings of loss or wastage of government funds or property in the audit, and all issues raised were primarily administrative in nature and management agreed to implement all corresponding recommendations to address the observations for Calendar Year 2024," the OVP stated.
While no fund losses were identified, the COA flagged two major OVP programs for issues in guidelines and low budget utilization. For the PagbaBAGo Campaign, aimed at providing school bags, learning materials, and dental kits to learners in remote and economically challenged areas, there were incomplete guidelines and procedures.
Similarly, the Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day program saw only P600,000 spent out of P150 million, or 0.4 percent, as of December 31, 2023. Nevertheless, the COA issued an unmodified opinion on the fairness of the OVP's financial statements as of December 31, 2024.
The OVP's response underscores a commitment to enhancing processes while denying any serious fund mismanagement.