The Makati City government garnered anew the highest audit rating from the Commission on Audit (COA) for its 2020 financial statements.

Mayor Abigail Binay said Tuesday that COA gave Makati City an “unmodified opinion” for its four consecutive years of “unprecedented” compliance with auditing rules and procedures.

“This latest achievement is immensely gratifying and does justice to all the efforts of the city government to keep transactions and spending above board at the height of the pandemic. We made sure that even our emergency purchases for Covid-19 response were done by the book. We also prioritized our fund allocations to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable sectors severely affected by the crisis,” Binay said in a statement.

The city government received the good news through a letter dated July 16, 2021, signed by COA director Omar Roque.

“The Auditor rendered an unmodified opinion on the fairness of presentation of the financial statements of the city,” the letter read.

Based on the attached Independent Auditor’s Report, Makati’s 2020 financial statements were “in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards.”

Binay thanked the COA for its “fair and impartial” evaluation of the city’s financial statements since June 2016.

The city earned a similar COA recognition in 2017 and consistently surpassed its revenue targets for the past four years.

Among the reforms and innovations to promote transparency and efficiency in the city government’s operations is the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) at the ground floor of the Makati City Hall.

BOSS hastens the processing of applications and payments and issues licenses, clearances, and permits.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Binay said the city government improved its digital services to ensure minimum health protocols.

Based on COA’s annual financial report in 2019, Makati is the richest local government unit with assets valued at P233.78 billion.