Agri-10, COA hold entrance con to strengthen transparency, accountability

 

EL SALVADOR CITY, MISAMIS ORIENTAL – Aligned with the administration’s goal of single poverty incidence by 2028, Department of Agriculture – Northern Mindanao (DA-10) Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan urged the agency employees to ensure that government investments contribute to the said objective.

He emphasized this during the Entrance Conference for Audit Engagement for CY 2025 with the Commission on Audit (COA) – National Government Agencies Cluster 8, Team 7, on April 30, here.

According to COA-10 Regional Supervising Auditor Josie J. Rodriguez, the conference is in compliance with the COA Financial Audit Manual, marking the start of the audit for CY 2025 transactions. It serves to establish the terms of audit engagement, clarify deliverables, and strengthen the coordination between the Commission as the auditing body and the DA-10 as the auditee, ensuring a common understanding and appreciation of the audit’s purpose and procedures.

“In addition, you will be informed accordingly of the audit thrusts that will be identified during the final conference to be conducted by the cluster [Agriculture and Environment],” the COA-10 official imparted.
For her part, COA-10 Audit Team Leader Atty. Sittie Aina D. Sirad-Amerol tackled on the key audit aspects, including objectives, the auditors’ responsibilities, and the agency’s financial management performance. It highlighted the limitations of the audit and stressed the cooperation from the DA-10, especially in apprising of the department’s operations and complying with requirements in relation to field inspections and observations.

“We expect to complete our audit and issue the Management Letter (ML) on March 30, 2026, subject to the availability of documentary requirements,” Sirad-Amerol detailed. The ML refers to the formal communication being issued by the Commission to the management of the audited agency, reflecting the observations, findings, and suggestions that may or not significantly form part of the audit report but are deemed important for improving agency operations.

Likewise, she outlined that the audit will evaluate the fairness of the DA-10’s financial statements, assess the effectiveness of internal controls, and review compliance with applicable laws and regulations in the delivery of its programs and projects at the grassroots level.

“We are glad to see the things that we need to understand in evaluating our performance—not only financially, but also in terms of operations,” RED Pacamalan said, further citing the audit’s value in linking fund use with field-level outcomes. “It’s always a challenge to account the [funds] [based] on field results. Our operations should know beyond the accounting of the resources.”

The conference was attended by the DA-10’s top management, division and section chiefs, banner program coordinators, special project focal persons and other DA personnel.# (JLO)