In a dedicated pursuit of government transparency and accountability for Calendar Year (CY) 2023 expenditures, the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) together with the Commission on Audit (COA) BARMM initiated a comprehensive 2-day Audit Entrance Conference, commenced today, November 13, in Davao City.
MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal underscored the significance of the activity as the platform to define responsibilities, with the exit conference serving as the acknowledgment of accountability. According to him, the ethos of moral governance takes center stage in this process.
OIC Regional Director (RD) Rasdy Guiling highlighted their commission’s mandate to meticulously examine, audit, and settle all accounts related to the government’s revenues, receipts, expenditures, and properties. The conference saw the presence of COA key officials, including Supervising Auditors Nora Ansao, Nona Imlan, Hussein Uckung, Antonio Gepte VIII, the ministry’s Audit Team Leader, Atty. Kiram Solaiman, among others.
“We aim to ensure that every centavo of the Ministry’s budget will equal a promise of a brighter future for the education ministry and its stakeholders,” said RD Guiling.
The conference gathered the ministry’s four (4) director generals (DGs), 11 schools division superintendents (SDSs), and main office’s division chiefs. School administrators of the seven (7) Ministry-Supervised Higher Education Institutions and five (5) TESD Provincial Directors were also in the event.
The first day of the conference featured presentations on the approved budget of the MBHTE, mandatory reports and submissions, annual procurement plan preparation, updates on the recording of inventory, and the handling of property, plant, and equipment.
The DGs provided management comments and commitments for the Ministry’s project implementation. While selected SDSs delivered their messages of support.
Minister Iqbal reiterated the ministry’s firm belief that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of effective and moral governance, ensuring that government agencies operate with openness and integrity.
