THE P125 million in confidential fund allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) by the Office of the President (OP) was spent in 11 days and not in 19 days, citing information from the Commission on Audit (COA).
Marikina City Rep. (2nd District) and Senior Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations Stella Quimbo on Monday disclosed the fact in the course of plenary debates for the 2024 budget request of COA, during which the Marikina lawmaker revealed that, as per state auditors’ information, the multimillion-peso confidential fund granted to the office of Vice President Sara Duterte for the year 2022 by the OP had been obligated in just 11 days.
When asked if reports were accurate that the OVP’s confidential fund was spent in 19 days, Quimbo said: “Madam Speaker, ang totoo po ay nagulat din po ako noong mabasa ko ang mga balita na tila nagastos po sa loob ng 19 days at tinanong ko po ang COA at tiningnan ko po ang mga iba’t ibang mga reports, pero hindi po ito nagastos sa loob ng 19 days kung hindi 11 days po, Madam Speaker.”
As per COA, Quimbo said, the OVP has submitted its liquidation report in January 2023 and has been issued an audit observation memorandum or AOM on September 18, 2023 by state auditors.
According to the appropriations committee vice chairperson, COA assured Congress that a full report will be submitted on November 15, 2023 as audit is still ongoing.
“So Madam Speaker, ongoing pa rin ang audit at ang AOM ay preliminary findings and again may confidential nature po ang AOM bagama’t ang masasabi po natin ay ang AOM na ‘yan ay nagco-convey po ng request for additional documents,” she said.
At this point, Quimbo reiterated her call for the creation of a special oversight committee for confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in the House of Representatives to boost transparency and ensure that people’s money are spent properly.
“Sana po ay suportahan ninyo po ako sa aking panawagan ng ganitong creation ng special oversight committee,” said Quimbo, who in her opening speech to endorse the 2024 spending plan request of COA, sought the creation of the special panel to be composed of the House Speaker, three members of the majority and one from the minority.
Under the president setup, only the President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House have access to information pertaining to CIFs.
