Two towns in Cebu receive awards

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/10/28/two-towns-cebu-receive-awards-506359
• Saturday, October 29, 2016

By Oscar C. Pineda

THE accounting offices of two municipalities in Cebu were named “Most Outstanding Accounting Office” in the Philippines for this year.

The awards were given to Asturias and Tabuelan by the Association of Government Accountant of the Philippines (Agap) last Oct. 19 at the Bohol Tropics Hotel in Tagbilaran City.

“Agap is pleased to inform you that in recognition of the quality, timeliness and accuracy of your 2015 financial reports, the Commission on Audit (COA) has chosen your accounting Office as one of this year’s Outstanding Accounting Offices,” read the letter of Agap President Gregorio Rulloda to Asturias Mayor Anto Pintor.

The awardees of the Most Outstanding Accounting Offices are chosen yearly by Agap based on the recommendations made by COA.

Pintor personally received the award together with Municipal Accountant Herminia Suico.

“I am greatly honored with this award considering that there are only five of us in the entire country that were recognized,” he said.

Others who were given the award, according to the Agap website, are the towns of Aurora in Isabela, Aritao in Nueva Viscaya and Gloria in Oriental Mindoro Suico said the state auditors, in its audit report for last year, gave the town an “unqualified opinion.”

It means COA had no negative assessment on the Municipal Government’s operations and transactions for 2015.

She said COA has four types of opinion—unqualified, qualified, adverse and disclaimer—depending on how the local government unit handled the taxpayer’s money.

In her years in service, Suico thanked God as she has not encountered any pressure from his political bosses.

“Akong ingnon nga mo-follow lang mi og auditing rules and regulation ug kung mapasabot nato sila wa may problema. (I always tell them that we just follow the auditing rules and regulations and we won’t have any problems),” she said.

Suico had been with the government for 24 years. She started as an information officer. She entered the accounting office in 1992 and became the municipal accountant in 1996.