THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) has earned its fourth consecutive unmodified opinion from the Commission on Audit (COA) for 2025.
COA said the office presented fairly and complied with the applicable accounting rules and financial reporting standards.
The opinion comes days before the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in which she is accused of misusing her confidential and intelligence funds.
According to the COA report sent to the OVP on May 15, the financial statements of the office presented fairly “the financial position of OVP as of Dec. 31, 2025, and its financial performance, cash flows, changes in net assets/equity and comparison of budget and actual amounts for the year then ended.” The OVP earlier reported a 92.32-percent utilization rate of its 2025 General Appropriations Act budget, which it said reflects “prudent fiscal management despite expanded operations and increasing demand for its public service programs.” The OVP received a budget of P733.198 million in 2025, a big drop from the P1.8 billion it received in 2024.
That budget removed the confidential and intelligence funds, one of the main issues that she is facing in her impeachment trial.
In a statement, the OVP said the fourth consecutive unmodified opinion underscores its commitment to transparency, accountability and responsible stewardship of public funds, while reinforcing its adherence to the principles of good governance and sound financial management.
An unmodified, or unqualified, opinion by the COA signifies that an agency’s financial statements are fairly presented in accordance with the prescribed financial reporting framework, including the International Public Sector Accounting Standards and the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions.
In an earlier interview for The Manila Times, OVP spokesman Ruth Castelo said the unmodified opinion is proof that “in all material respects, the COA saw how the funds were spent wisely, the documentation was proper, and there are no problems,” Castelo also said that while there were observations, suggestions and recommendations, it does not affect the final observation that the OVP deserved the unmodified audit opinion.
