State auditors have flagged the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) supposed misuse of P375 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in 2023, representing the second year in a row that such an offense was recorded, a lawmaker pointed out.
This apparent lack of transparency has drawn criticism from 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, who described it as a “repeated pattern of fund mismanagement,” citing the latest Commission on Audit (COA) report.
Gutierrez noted that this pattern resulted in another Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) from the COA, which could escalate into a Notice of Disallowance (ND), as what happened with the OVP’s 2022 CIF disbursements.
“My initial assessment, I think the basis was laid out properly, and we saw in the initial deliberations, it’s unfortunate that we did not have the proper resource persons from the [OVP],” Gutierrez said at the sidelines of Wednesday’s initial hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability into the OVP’s questionable budget utilization.
“However, we were still able to ask the proper questions with COA. Although this is just initial, it’s very telling… and it seems that we have the same issues here [as in the previous year],” he added in a mixture of Filipino and English.
“The OVP’s CIF for 2023 reflects the same deficiencies as those highlighted in the 2022 report, indicating a troubling lack of accountability and transparency in handling these funds,” Gutierrez said in a separate interview.
“This is public money, not a personal slush fund. Repeated, templated reporting without detailed justification only raises suspicions of misuse.”
“When the same justifications are presented year after year for millions of pesos in taxpayer money, it raises serious questions about whether these funds are truly being used as intended or merely being spent without proper oversight,” Gutierrez added. “This repeated pattern opens the door for further audit scrutiny, and it’s only a matter of time before COA issues a formal Notice of Disallowance for the P375 million 2023 budget.”
To recall, Vice President Duterte received P125 million in confidential funds, which her office spent in just 11 days in December 2022.
Last month, COA issued an ND in the amount of P73.28 million, citing improper use and violations of government regulations.
Gutierrez stressed that while the latest audit is still in its initial stages, the similarities to the 2022 ND cannot be ignored.
“It is very telling that there seems to be a pattern. Based on what COA reported, the offenses in the [ND] are the same offenses noted in the AOM. We have to consider if there is a pattern of misuse or misfeasance. Is this malfeasance even?” he questioned.
Gutierrez further warned that the OVP had been given multiple chances to explain and justify its CIF expenditures since 2023, but the COA could only issue an ND due to insufficient documentation. He stressed that if the Vice President cannot properly account for these funds, she could be required to return the disallowed amounts to the government.
“This is about accountability to the Filipino people,” the congressman emphasized. We are talking about hundreds of millions [of pesos] in public funds, and the Vice President must be transparent,” he pointed out.
As this developed, Davao City Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has requested an invitation to the House Quad Committee’s next hearing on extra judicial killings and illegal drugs, so he too can grill the witnesses.
“We have received a copy of letter coming from the Hon. Paolo Z. Duterte with regards to some queries, addressed to the quad committee chairman,” Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano told colleagues on Thursday.
For his part, the Quadcom’s overall chairman and Surigao del Norte Representative Robert “Ace” Barbers asked the panel secretary to immediately extend an invitation to the Davao City solon.
