House leaders urged VP to testify on alleged fund misuse

MANILA, Philippines — As more questions arise regarding her alleged misuse of taxpayers’ money, including her confidential funds, Vice President Sara Duterte should appear again before the House of Representatives and explain her side under oath, two House leaders said yesterday.

In a statement, House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre and House Assistant Majority Leader Paolo Ortega said Duterte should stop “evading accountability and transparency.”

They said Duterte had a lot of explaining to do regarding the P15 million supposedly used to purchase information about insurgents and pay for rentals of safe houses, among others.

The two lawmakers have expressed concerns that Duterte used the Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) and other initiatives linked to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as cover for her misuse of millions of pesos in taxpayers’ money.

Military officials confirmed at a hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability on Thursday that the AFP, not the Office of the Vice President,
 covered the expenses for these activities.

“This is a clear misuse of public funds. The Vice President claimed her office spent millions on activities already fully funded by the military. Why lie about where the money went? We need to know what the OVP did with these funds,” Acidre said.

At the hearing on the issue last Sept. 18, an apparently combative Duterte refused to take the oath to explain her use of her confidential funds, claiming the panel invited her so it could build up a case for her impeachment.

Former presidents like Joseph Estrada and the late Fidel Ramos and Benigno Aquino III took their oath when they were invited as resource persons at congressional hearings.

Acidre also underscored that Duterte’s use of certifications from the AFP to justify her office’s spending had misled auditors and the public.

“This is not just about accounting errors; this is deception. Using the military to cover up the improper use of confidential funds is an egregious act,” Acidre pointed out.