DepEd unaware of how liquidated P112 million 2023 confidential fund was used

While the Department of Education under then DepEd Secretary Vice President Sara Duterte liquidated P112 million in confidential fund expenses in 2023, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla testified on Monday that the department was unaware of how the fund was utilized.

“We would like to clarify DepEd Finance’s role in the release, utilization, and reporting of the confidential fund," said Sevilla during the House Appropriations Committee deliberations on the DepEd’s proposed P793 billion budget for 2025.

"[The confidential fund] is included in our GAA (General Appropriations Act in 2023) and we followed the Joint Circular [for the release in the form of] cash advance. There is a three-month requirement; that it (the confidential fund) should be released on a quarterly basis. The next is liquidation, which should be upon the [responsibility of the] head of the agency to the Commission on Audit,” Sevilla explained.

“To answer po ‘yung question kung alam ba namin' yung details nung pinagamitan, we do not know because we're not part of the process po ng utilization and liquidation. So, what I can share is, from the [DepEd’s] finance [unit], we have released three quarters. That's P112.5 million. [And] it has been recorded as liquidated because we were given a copy of the cover letter only of the liquidation,” Sevilla responded.

(Whether we know the details on how it was used, we do not because we're not part of the process of its utilization and liquidation.)

Duterte served as Education Secretary from July 2022 to June 2024. The Vice President resigned as Education chief on June 19 this year.

Duterte has since been replaced by former Senator Sonny Angara as DepEd Secretary.

Sevilla added that there was no release of confidential funds for the fourth quarter of 2023 because there is no reason for such a request.

GMA News Online had sought comment from Duterte and the Vice President's office, but she and her representatives had yet to respond as of posting time.

Last week, Kabataan party-list lawmaker Raoul Manuel asked Vice President Duterte to explain the disbursement of confidential funds during her term as Education Secretary.

The Vice President, however, repeatedly refused to answer questions from the lawmakers, especially those involving confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Education Department, arguing that these were not related to her office’s proposed P2 billion budget for 2025.

Duterte’s refusal to answer lawmakers’ questions prompted the House Appropriations panel to defer the endorsement of the Office of the Vice President’s proposed P2 billion budget for 2025 to the plenary.

Given Sevilla’s response, Manuel said this proved that it had been appropriate to question the Vice President's use of confidential funds during her term as Education Secretary.

“Hearing that, Madam Chair, ibig sabihin tama lang na last week ay ni-raise natin ‘yung tanong na ito regarding the DepEd Confidential Funds in 2023. Kasi nga mahirap rin na i-expect natin na yung officials na harap ngayon under the new DepEd leadership ay sila yung sumagot dun sa tanong,” Manuel said.

Manuel then asked whether the DepEd under Angara’s leadership would still request for a confidential fund allocation.

Angara replied, “No, Your Honor.”

“Since our predecessor did not ask for it and we did not have it in 2024... it has been controversial... mabuti na rin umiwas, Your Honor, at hingiin na po ‘yun sa line-item kung may mga pangangailangan po ang departamento,” Angara added.

(It would be better to steer clear of the controversy and ask for the budget for the agency's needs under identified line-item provisions.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News