Accountability for the use of confidential funds lies with Vice President Sara Duterte, Malacañang said on Tuesday after a new Commission on Audit’s (COA) issuance of notice of disallowance for the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Speaking to reporters, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said COA rulings serve as the official basis for determining whether government funds were properly utilized, emphasizing that the agency head is ultimately responsible for explaining expenditures.
Castro made the statement after COA issued a latest notice of disallowance involving PHP375 million in confidential funds in 2023.
She noted that COA had previously dismissed an appeal involving the OVP’s PHP73 million in confidential funds in 2022 and ordered its return.
“Kung hindi maipapaliwanag ito ng head of agency – iyan po ay sa pamumuno ni Bise Presidente Sara Duterte – sa kaniya po ito babagsak dahil siya po ang namumuno dito (If the head of agency cannot explain this – under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte – it will fall on her because she is the one leading the office),” Castro said.
“Kaya mas maganda po na maipaliwanag ito. But anyway, nagdesisyon po ang COA. Tingnan lamang po natin kung magkakaroon pa ng final decision dito (So, it is better that this be properly explained. But anyway, COA has already made a decision. Let us just see if there will still be a final decision on this).”
She said further legal steps may still follow as COA has yet to make a final decision.
Meanwhile, Castro clarified that the administration is not driving the impeachment proceedings against Duterte, saying this is solely within the mandate of Congress.
“Hindi po ang Palasyo, hindi po ang Pangulo ang tumututok sa impeachment proceedings laban dito kay Bise Presidente. Ito po ay trabaho ng Kongreso (It is not the Palace, not the President, who is handling impeachment proceedings. That is the work of Congress),” she said.
Castro noted that focusing on one issue does not mean neglecting others, stressing that multiple investigations into flood control anomalies can proceed simultaneously.
“Kasi ang ibig sabihin niyan kapag ganyan palagi, pwede ba ang lahat ng kaso sa korte ay huwag nang dinggin at tumutok na lang sa flood control projects? Hindi po yata ganoon dapat (Because if that is always the argument, should all cases in court no longer be heard and just focus on flood control projects? I don’t think that is how it should be),” she said. (PNA)