Commissioner Mario Gonzales Lipana was nominated to the Commission on Audit (COA) by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 17 January 2022 and was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on 26 January 2022 for a term expiring on 2 February 2027 vice Commissioner Jose A. Fabia whose term ended in February 2020.

Commissioner Lipana is a career official who rose from the ranks, having joined the Commission in 1983. He has acquired more than 38 years of experience and expertise as Auditor of both local and international audits covering financial and compliance audit. He served as auditor of various government agencies, including the legislative branch, executive departments and constitutional offices. From 1997 to 2001, he was Supervising Auditor of local government units (LGUS) in the different provinces of Region IV-A or CALABARZON. He also served as Supervising Auditor of various national government agencies (NGAs) including the Senate, Office of the President and the Commission on Elections from 2003 to 2015.

He was Supervising Auditor of the City of Manila prior to his promotion as Regional Director of COA Regional Office No. IV-A and concurrent Director of the Intelligence and Confidential Fund Audit Office under the Office of the Chairperson in 2017. As head of the COA in the Southern Tagalog Region, Commissioner Lipana supervised the conduct of independent audit and review of government resources to provide timely, reliable and accurate reports to the people of the Region through quality audit services in order to establish a responsive, efficient, effective and transparent government. He also supervised the conduct of audit of liquidations relative to the confidential expenses of NGAs, LGUs and Government-Owned and/or Controlled Corporations.

Commissioner Lipana hails from San Ildefonso, Bulacan. He obtained his BSC Accounting degree from Baliwag University in 1982.