Vice President Sara Duterte firmly denied any misuse of the P125 million in confidential funds of her office in 2022, saying allegations of such are “politically motivated.”
“There was no misuse of any funds,” Duterte was quoted saying in a GMA Integrated News report. She, however, did not provide a liquidation report on how the funds were utilized.
Duterte instead argued that the growing criticisms against the confidential funds are merely a “diversion from the real issues at hand.”
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro previously highlighted that the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) accomplishment report submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed questionable activities.
Specifically, Castro pointed to the use of P125 million in confidential funds for 132 surveillance activities, with P99 million allocated for payments and rewards (both cash and in-kind) and P26 million spent on travel expenses and safe houses.
“According to COA, the notice of disallowance amounted to P73,287,000 out of P125 million. This notice indicates that P73 million of the expenditures were illegal and not in accordance with our joint circulars with the COA, Department of Budget and Management, and other relevant agencies. If it was disallowed, the use of these funds was illegal,” Castro said.
Duterte refused to address these questions, claiming they were not “in line” with the focus of the budget hearing. She emphasized the discussion should remain centered on the 2025 budget proposal, as outlined in the invitation letter from the House.
