VP Sara told of P73-M confi fund disallowance, won't answer House members

The Commission on Audit (COA) has issued a notice of disallowance on the P73 million worth of confidential funds spent by the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022, documents presented before the House Committee on Appropriations showed.

Asked by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro about the disallowances cited by the COA, Duterte said the hearing was about the proposed P2-billion OVP budget which didn't include confidential funds for 2025.

"Discussions should be germane to the topic. ...This is hearing of the budget of 2025, nasaan dito ang confidential funds?" Duterte said.

(Where are confidential funds here?)

Castro, the House Deputy Minority Leader, had asked Duterte how her office disbursed the P73 million worth of confidential funds in 2022.

“I have here a report about the notice of disallowance. According to the notice of disallowance, the COA has disallowed P73 million out of 125 million confidential funds used by the OVP in 2022," Castro said.

"So, this is 58.63% of the 125 million. So, can you confirm, Vice President?” she added.

Duterte didn't answer the question.

Turning to Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the senior vice chairperson of the House budget panel, Duterte said, "Madam Chair, since you allowed her a snide comment, you will allow me a snide comment as well."

“You should have reminded her to refrain... I called your attention, Madam Chair. You did not recognize me. If you allowed her that, you allowed me a snide comment as well,” Duterte added.

Quimbo responded by saying, “I don't recall hearing a snide comment, Madam Vice President.”

Castro said Duterte was acting as if she was the one presiding over the deliberations and questioned her anew on the COA submission of the confidential funds, which showed that P10 million of the P73 million issued notice of disallowance by COA was used for payment of rewards.

The Vice President responded by questioning Castro’s presence in the House amid a lower court conviction on endangering minors. The case is under appeal.

“I do not understand. Why a person convicted of child abuse is then sitting in a seat in the House of Representatives? You allowed her a snide comment and then you will not allow me?,” Duterte said.

Castro responded by saying that Duterte is acting like a squid which squirts out a black ink when cornered.

“Huwag naman mag-ugaling pusit ang Office of the Vice President (We hope the OVP will not act like squid),” Castro said.

COA findings

According to the COA Notice of Disallowance, at least P69 million of the P73 million disallowed involved the following: P10 million for reward payment; P34.857 million for payment of reward (various goods); and P24.93 million for payment of reward (medicines).

COA said that the OVP did not submit documents showing the success of information gathering and/or surveillance activities to support the acknowledgment receipts for around P69 million of payments of rewards in cash, various goods, and medicines.

Likewise, COA said that P3.5 million of the disallowed P73 million “were used for payment for tables, chairs, desktop computers and printers without specifying that they were intended for the confidential operations/activities undertaken by the OVP, non-compliant with the requirement of Item 4.8.4 of the Joint Circular governing use of confidential fund.”

The lawmakers asked COA Assistant Commissioner Alexander Juliano to explain what the issuance of a Notice of Disallowance meant.

Juliano said a Notice of Disallowance means that the expenditure is “either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable.”

Refused to answer

Duterte repeatedly dodged questions on the OVP’s proposed P2 billion budget for 2025, COA findings on confidential funds, and the use of confidential funds.

“I would like to forego the opportunity to defend the budget in a question-and-answer format. I will leave it up to them to decide on the proposal as presented/as submitted," she said.

House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list called out Duterte for refusing to answer questions on confidential fund use of her office.

“Ang publiko po ay may karapatang malaman ito (The public has the right to know). This is about transparency and accountability. And it doesn't exempt the Office of the Vice President,” Brosas said.

However, Duterte insisted her repeated responses are not non-answers.

“She may not like how I answer, she may not like the content of my answer. But I am answering [questions],” Duterte said.

Duterte’s repeated answers for almost six hours eventually prompted Zambales lawmaker Jeff Khonghun to make a motion to defer the OVP budget approval at the committee level. The motion was unanimously carried by the House appropriations panel.

The panel set the next deliberations for September 10.

Asked to comment on the deferment, OVP spokesperson Michael Poa said, "I will not comment further."—LDF/NB, GMA Integrated News