COA urged to look into Davao City confidential funds under Sara Duterte

A lawmaker is urging the Commission on Audit to look into the confidential funds provided to Vice President Sara Duterte when she was mayor of Davao City.

In Duterte's two terms as mayor from 2016 to 2022, the city government spent a total of P2.697 billion in confidential funds, Jonathan Andal reported on "24 Oras Weekend."

The total is comprised of P144 million in confidential funds in 2016; P293 million in 2017; P420 million in 2018; and P460 million for each year from 2019 to 2022.

“Kung talagang naging useful sa Davao City ito, e ‘di dapat mayroon din itong performance report. At the least is maibalik kung hindi naman ito ma-account nang maayos,” said Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative France Castro.

She added that this comes out to P1.2 million in confidential funds spent per day by Davao City under Sara Duterte's leadership.

According to GMA Integrated News Research, the P2.697 billion total is also larger than the total confidential funds of the country's three wealthiest cities in the same period: from 2016 to 2022, Makati City government spent P1.4 billion in confidential funds; the City of Manila P477.5 million; and Quezon City P435 million.

Duterte has declined to comment for the moment, according to the report.

Last week, the House Committee on Appropriations said it will realign the confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education—both headed by Duterte—and other civilian agencies to augment the budgets of intelligence and security forces. — Sherylin Untalan/BM, GMA Integrated News