OVP has P300 MILLION more disallowed funds – lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has again flagged the Office of the Vice President (OVP), this time for the use of P300 million in “disallowed” government funds, separate from the P73.2 million return order that has reached “finality,” a lawmaker revealed over the weekend.

“These are two different matters. As far as the P73 million is concerned, COA is done with that. If they still want to contest it, the next step is no longer within the COA process, but before the Supreme Court,” Rep. Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list said.

Ridon said the P300 million separate notice of disallowance represents an additional layer of potential liability arising from the same issue involving the use of intelligence and confidential funds, where a total of P612.5 million in taxpayers’ money remain unaccounted for by Vice President Sara Duterte until now.

“There is a new notice of disallowance covering at least P300 million in confidential funds,” he said.

“At this point, this is just a notice of disallowance. The likely next move there would be an appeal before the COA commission proper, that is why it is still in the middle phase, or it would be premature for us to make any comparison,” Ridon said.

He stressed that once a notice of disallowance becomes final, liability attaches not merely to the office, but to the officials identified in the ruling.

 Ridon said the existence of this additional disallowance shows that the confidential funds controversy is not confined to a single period or isolated audit finding, but may involve a broader pattern of transactions now subject to scrutiny.

Last week, a high-ranking COA official informed the House of Representatives that their notice of disallowance about Duterte’s use of P73.2 million confidential funds has reached “finality,” and should be returned to government coffers.

Lawyer Gloria Camora, COA auditor and team leader of the agency’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, said they have already denied the motion for reconsideration of the OVP regarding the confidential funds released to the OVP in December 2022.

“The commission proper has decided already on the appeal. They affirmed our disallowance,” she told Rep. Rodge Gutierrez of party-list 1Rider, who was inquiring about the status of the confidential and intelligence funds released to the OVP.

Upon the legislator’s request, Camora then read the “dispositive portion” of the COA ruling.

In essence, COA thumbed down the OVP’s petition for review, and directed Duterte, special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and chief accountant Julieta Villadelrey for the return of the confidential and intelligence funds. The trio were identified as the accountable officers for the subject funds. 

The ruling, dated April 10, was signed by COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba and Commissioners Mario Lipana and Douglas Mallillin.

 The disallowed amount forms part of the P125 million in confidential funds that the OVP disbursed and liquidated in just 11 days in December 2022, including P69.787 million for “rewards” and P3.5 million for items such as tables, chairs and computers.