THE House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has conducted its first hearing to look into the use of the funds of the Office of the Vice President OVP of Sara Duterte, specifically on the purpose and use of confidential funds given to the vice president.
Aside from the OVP funds, the House panel also aims to look at the use of the funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) while Sara was still serving as its head.
The Commission of Audit previously flagged the utilization of the OVP’s confidential funds.
In 2022, the OVP spent its total confidential and intelligence funds of P125-million in a span of 11 days with almost P73.3-million unaccounted for.
Where did VP Sara spend these funds? Was it given to her political backers for a job well done for having her elected as vice president, or was she so eager to misappropriate public funds to her own pocket, much like what her father did?
It’s been the subject of much debate on why the DepEd and the OVP would need confidential funds.
Confidential funds are mostly used for security and intelligence work conducted by our public safety government agencies like the Department of National Defense and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
For the year 2024, the OVP requested confidential funds amounting to P500-million, bigger than the proposed confidential funds of government security agencies like the DND and NICA, which amounted only to P438.2-million.
Sara Duterte also previously admitted that part of the confidential funds she previously received in the OVP were not really used for safety and security initiatives. Some of it were used for programs with no direct relation to public security like the construction of a vice presidents’ museum and an OVP permanent office.
When VP Sara attended the House hearing to investigate her use of funds, she refused to take her oath to only tell the truth during the proceedings.
From her actions, it’s clear that she has something to hide, and that she apparently rejects any public accountability for the position she holds.
VP Sara should understand that the people elected her as vice president and she’s the obligation to tell the people how their money has been spent.
