The Department of Education (DepEd) has earned its third straight unmodified audit opinion from the Commission on Audit (COA), alongside a major boost in its resolution of past audit recommendations.
The latest evaluation, delivered under Education Secretary Sonny Angara, represents COA’s highest rating. The opinion confirms that the department’s financial statements accurately reflect its financial status and align with required accounting standards.
An unmodified opinion is awarded when an agency’s financial records comply with applicable reporting rules.
In a statement, Angara credited the achievement to ongoing structural reforms aimed at tightening fiscal management and improving internal systems.
He emphasized that these operational upgrades directly support the education sector by ensuring public funds are distributed efficiently.
”Fixing long-standing audit issues isn’t just an accounting exercise—it’s about operational integrity and fulfilling President Bongbong Marcos’s mandate for transparent, accountable governance,” Angara said.
“Under the Marcos administration, responsible budget management directly affects the speed and efficiency with which resources reach our classrooms, teachers, and learners.”
COA tracked 882 total audit observations from past years, with DepEd fully resolving 345 and updating or revising another 169 as part of its compliance efforts.
Angara highlighted the agency’s swift progress in addressing these findings during his second year leading the department. DepEd successfully resolved 83% of COA’s audit findings in 2025—a significant jump from an implementation rate of 52% in 2024, 54% in 2023, and 56% in 2022.
”Moving our action rate from 52% to 83% shows that we are serious about safeguarding public funds,” Angara said.
According to COA’s consolidated annual audit report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, DepEd fully acted on 307 out of 368 recommendations issued in 2024, leaving just 61 pending compliance.