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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Castro prods COA to probe Davao City's P2.697-B confidential fund

Castro prods COA to probe Davao City's P2.697-B confidential fund

Published Oct 1, 2023 07:07 am

At A Glance

  • House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro called on the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the alleged spending of P2.697 billion in confidential funds by the local government of Davao City. 

IMG_20230815_142245.jpgACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (Screenshot from YouTube live)

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro called on the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the alleged spending of P2.697 billion in confidential funds by the local government of Davao City.

The confidential funds were “secretly spent” within six years during the term as mayor of Vice President Sara Duterte, Castro claimed in a statement Sunday, Oct.1

“This is way bigger than even the richest cities in the country like Makati City and Quezon City,” she noted.

Castro said that COA should look into whether or not the spending of the confidential funds fall under the guidelines set by COA-DBM Joint Circular (JC) No. 2015-01.

The JC of COA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) sought to oversee the entitlement, release, use, reporting, and audit of confidential and/or intelligence funds.

If proven that the fund was not spent according to the JC, Castro said that the money should be returned, alongside adequate legal action.

The teacher-solon likened Davao City’s confidential funds to the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) desire to get similar funding under the proposed 2024 national budget.

"Perhaps this is why Vice President Sara Duterte is so eager to have a confidential fund in her national office, as she may have become accustomed to such a practice during her time as mayor of Davao," she said.

Castro emphasized that Filipinos deserve to know their hard-earned money is being spent through transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

“We cannot tolerate any misuse or abuse of public funds, especially large amounts allocated for confidential purposes. We must hold our public officials accountable and ensure that transparency and integrity prevail in our governance," she added.

Related Tags

ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro Confidential funds Sara Duterte FRANCE CASTRO
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