Vice President Sara Duterte argued Wednesday that disclosing details about confidential funds, including alleged discrepancies in acknowledgment receipts (ARs), would compromise “intelligence operations.”
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that over 400 names listed on the ARs linked to the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) had no existing records, including “Mary Grace Piattos.”
Other names submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA) included “Fernando Tempura,” “Carlos Miguel Oishi,” “Reymunda Jane Nova,” and “Chippy Mcdonald.”
“I will not explain. I will not give an explanation because it will entail that I explain intelligence operations, which will compromise offices conducting intelligence operations. It will really compromise how they work,” Duterte stated in a press conference.
She further defended her position by citing legal provisions that prohibit the disclosure of confidential information obtained while in office.
Duterte also questioned the authenticity of the receipts presented in the House of Representatives, casting doubt on whether the documents listing Piattos, Oishi, Nova, and Tempura were the same ARs submitted by the OVP to COA.
“We don’t know if it came from us. That’s what they’re alleging,” she said. “I’m just saying that we do not even know if the ARs with us are the ARs that are with them. We do not know if that paper they’re holding came from the OVP and DepEd (Department of Education). Because there was no marking of exhibits,” she clarified.
While Duterte refused to explain the use of confidential funds, she underscored the OVP’s need for them, citing poverty alleviation as the office’s primary focus.
According to the Vice President, poverty alleviation is directly linked to national security, necessitating the use of confidential funds to procure information and address the needs of vulnerable communities.
“In fact, there is a correlation as well between education and national security. There are so many threats to education—not just insurgency—but also threats to Department of Education personnel and students. That is why we needed confidential funds. It’s all about national security,” she elaborated.
Duterte emphasized that the funds allowed her office to act swiftly in purchasing critical information and implementing targeted projects.
“We work far faster if we are allowed to purchase information and target our projects immediately, whether it’s a certain school, barangay, or municipality,” she added.
