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A COA audit leader says she is not aware of other agencies that used confidential funds to finance the delivery of medical and food aid. Duterte’s OVP is being flagged for disbursing P82 million for these items in 2023 alone.
MANILA, Philippines – Aside from the P73 million in confidential expenses that state auditors had disallowed, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has also been flagged for secret expenditures amounting to P164 million in 2023, the first full year of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This was confirmed when House Assistant Majority Leader Suansing interpellated the Commission on Audit (COA) during the first day of the congressional investigation into the Vice President’s alleged misuse of public funds on Wednesday, September 18.
Citing two audit observation memoranda (AOMs) on the OVP’s expenses, Suansing listed down the expenditures flagged by COA:
- P67 million out of P125 million in confidential expenses questioned for the first quarter of 2023
- P62 million out of P125 million in confidential expenses questioned for the second quarter of 2023
- P35 million out of P125 million in confidential expenses questioned for the third quarter of 2023
The items that set alarm bells for state auditors per quarter are the following:
- Q1 of 2023: P42 million in medical and food aid, P15 million in payment of reward, and P10 million in payment of incentives or traveling
- Q2 of 2023: P40 million in medical and food aid, P12 million in payment of reward, and P10 million in payment of incentives or traveling
- Q3 of 2023: P35 million in payment of reward
The AOMs are still unreleased to the public, but some lawmakers may have been presumably given access to the documents, given the oversight functions of Congress.
An AOM, as per COA, is a written notification to agency heads informing them of deficiencies observed following an audit of their offices’ books, but one that allows them to comment or submit missing documentary requirements within a period of time.
According to Suansing, the AOMs were sent to the OVP in February and August, and Duterte’s office have responded to both.
“It seems to me that across the three succeeding quarters, the categories that were flagged in the AOM were similar — payment of reward, provision of medical and food aid, and payment of incentives and traveling relative to the confidential operations. May I request COA to please enlighten us as to the reason why these categories seem to be repeatedly flagged across succeeding quarters?”
“We ask them for an explanation since by themselves, food and medical aid appears to not fall under the expenses allowed by the joint circular, so we are asking for explanation on those items. That’s the same for traveling expenses,” said Gloria Camora, team leader of the group of state auditors that reviewed the OVP’s confidential expenses last year.
Camora, in response to another question, said that in past audit reports, she did not encounter instances where confidential funds were used to finance medical services.
“It’s dangerous if these kinds of services will be sourced from confidential funds,” Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel said.
It is the House committee on good government, the lower chamber’s counterpart to the Senate blue ribbon committee, that is leading the inquiry into the budget utilization of the OVP as well as the Department of Education when Duterte was its secretary.
Duterte briefly appeared during the hearing, but left after the committee denied her request to terminate the proceedings.
She denied to take an oath to tell only the truth, questioned the validity of the probe, and called it a well-funded political attack to make a case for her impeachment.
“There is no misuse of funds. If there are audit findings, we shall gladly respond to them before the Commission on Audit. And if there are legitimate cases to be filed, then we shall gladly respond to them before the appropriate courts,” Duterte said. – Rappler.com
