By Junex Doronio
MANILA — On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, Vice President Sara Duterte remained firm in her refusal to address questions from Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list lawmaker France Castro regarding the disbursement of P73 million in confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022.
“Nakalagay doon sa rules nyo, di ba, discussions should be germane to the topic. …This is a hearing on the 2025 budget; where is the relevance of the confidential funds here?” Duterte said.
The Commission on Audit (COA) submitted documents to the House appropriations panel indicating that a notice of disallowance had been issued for the P73 million in confidential funds disbursed by the OVP, prompting Castro to inquire about the allocation of these funds.
“I have here a report about the notice of disallowance. According to the COA, P73 million out of P125 million in confidential funds used by the OVP in 2022 has been disallowed, which amounts to 58.63% of the total. Can you confirm this, Vice President?” Castro asked.
The lawmakers were deliberating the proposed P2 billion budget for the OVP in 2025.
VP Sara, however, repeatedly declined to respond to Castro’s inquiries, dismissing them as snide comments.
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