By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Wrapping up the investigation, in aid of legislation, into the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds entrusted to Vice President Sara Duterte, the chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Monday (9 December 2024) denounced what he described as the abuse of public trust hidden under the guise of secrecy.
Manila Third District Rep. Joel Chua delivered a sharp and damning summation, focusing on the central question that defined the months-long inquiry: “Saan napunta ang confidential funds?”
“Siguro po panahon na upang harapin natin ang katotohanan na hindi lahat ng mga nahahalal o nalalagay sa posisyon sa gobyerno ay pwedeng basta-bastang pagkatiwalaan,” Chua said in his opening statement during the eighth hearing of the panel, also known as the House Blue Ribbon Committee.
“Kailangan pa rin ng safeguards, pati sa ‘confidential funds.’ Sapagka’t hindi maiiwasan na may mga magtatangkang gamitin ang pagka-confidential nito upang itago ang impormasyon at pang-aabuso sa tiwala ng taumbayan,” he added.
Chua warned that the term “confidential” is being weaponized to obscure truth and evade accountability, a pattern revealed in the committee’s probe into the mishandling of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) when Duterte was still its secretary.
“Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, ang ‘confidential’ funds ay hindi ‘discretionary’ allowance o funds ng isang ahensya. Hindi sya ‘secret funds,’” he pointed out.
The committee found that from late 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, the OVP spent P500 million and the DepEd disbursed P112.5 million in confidential funds. These expenditures, totaling P612.5 million, lacked transparency and accountability, with incomplete or vague documentation that evaded proper scrutiny.
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