OVP: P125 million confidential funds used appropriately

MANILA, Philippines — Without providing details, the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday maintained that it “utilized appropriately” the P125 million tagged as confidential expenses last year.

In a statement, the OVP said the funds were used “for (their) intended purpose and in accordance with the guidelines set by the national government.”

The OVP did not provide additional details on the matter, including where the funds were used and where they were sourced.

The 2022 General Appropriations Act did not provide the OVP with a budget for confidential expenses. However, a redacted transparency report released by the agency showed adjustments in the budget, including a P125-million allocation for confidential expenses. Details on the adjustments, including the approving authority, were not released.

Meanwhile, the OVP explained that the lower spending on assistance was due to lower appropriation last year “in view of the anticipated election ban and transition in 2022.”

On Tuesday, the OVP also defended the establishment of satellite offices, which the Commission on Audit flagged for violating the procurement law.

“The COA findings and recommendations should be enough to disappoint ACT Teachers Party–list, and if only France Castro read the COA papers, it would have saved them the time and the energy to conjure wild speculations about OVP spending,” read the OVP statement, referring to the party-list’s congressional representative.

“For the information of the public and the education of Castro and ACT Teachers Party–list, OVP has maintained an unqualified opinion on its financial statements, and COA did not issue any notice of suspension or disallowance against OVP,” it added.

Castro, a deputy minority leader, earlier expressed concern over COA’s findings.

“This is a matter that should not be taken lightly, especially considering that millions, even billions, of taxpayer’s money are involved… We will not let this pass without proper investigation and accountability. It is our duty to ensure that public funds are spent in a transparent and accountable manner,” said the lawmaker.