Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday disputed the latest Commission on Audit (COA) annual financial report on the Office of the President, particularly the item on intelligence funds.
(Photo by Charlie Villegas / OVP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking on her Sunday radio show, Robredo said her office did not have confidential and intelligence funds in 2019 contrary to the COA report.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) was the lowest spender of "intelligence funds" among government offices, with P547,000, according to COA.
The COA earlier reported the Duterte administration spent P6.12 billion for intelligence that year. The Office of President, Congress, and the Department of National Defense topped list of spenders during the period.
“I read it when I was in Bulacan. I immediately asked our staff, ‘Why do we have intelligence fund? I don’t know we have intelligence fund,’”she said in Filipino.
“They responded to me that we did not have intelligence funds. The reported P547,000 was by-law allowances that we can’t decide on. These allowances are given to employees.”
The vice president explained the amount was spent for “extraordinary and miscellaneous” expenses.