No misuse of secret funds, Sara maintains

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has denied misusing confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President in 2022 after the Commission on Audit (COA) found irregularities in the OVP’s fund utilization.

Duterte branded the questions being raised on her confidential fund spending as mere political attacks “to mask the real problem of the country right now.”

In a statement sent to GMA News, Duterte also accused the Makabayan bloc and allies of President Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez at the House of Representatives of launching “unending political attacks” to mask their supposed failure to address pressing problems of the country.

“This is the sad plight of the poor and the hungry because of the unabated rise of food prices. Ordinary citizens’ principles are not for sale, ayuda (aid) will not solve the growing dissent. It is a classic ‘wag the dog’ piece,” she said, urging her critics to “work first before playing politics.”

Duterte issued the statement days after House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said the Vice President could be impeached for failing to comply with government rules on expenditure in connection with the OVP’s P73-million confidential funds.

At a House appropriations committee hearing last week, it was revealed that the COA issued a notice of disallowance, which flags certain irregular transactions of government agencies and offices, on P73 million of the P125-million OVP confidential funds in 2022, which was spent in 11 days.

Of the amount, P10 million was marked for reward payment, P34.857 million for payment of reward in the form of various goods and P24.93 million for payment of reward in the form of medicines.

Meanwhile, P3.5 million of the disallowed P73 million was used for furniture and office equipment that the OVP failed to justify as essential for its confidential operations.

The COA said this violated the joint circular governing the use of confidential funds.