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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Another case filed with SC vs constitutionality of VP Sara's P125M 'confidential fund' in 2022

Another case filed with SC vs constitutionality of VP Sara's P125M 'confidential fund' in 2022

Published Dec 11, 2023 09:09 am

Another petition was filed with the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday, Dec. 11, directly challenging the constitutionality of the P125 million “confidential funds” transferred in November 2022 from the contingency fund of the Office of the President (OP) to the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The petition also asked the SC to order the OVP to return the P125 million to the government’s treasury.

It was filed by Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, and former Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdie Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat. Makabayan representatives led by ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro.

Named respondents in the petition were Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, VP Sara Z. Duterte, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba.

The SC has acted on the first petition that challenged the P125 million “confidential fund.”  It required the respondents – Bersamin, VP Duterte, and Pangandaman – to comment on the petition.

The first petition was filed by Christian S. Monsod, Ibarra M. Gutierrez III, Maria Cielo D. Magno, Imelda M. Nicolas, Katrina C. Monsod, Ray Paolo J. Santiago, Honorio A. Poblador III, Augusto C. Lagman, Vicente C. Romano III, Rex C. Drilon II, and Miguel V. Jugo.

After the petition filed by Monsod and his group, another group – led by retired SC Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, former senator Richard J. Gordon, lawyer Howard M. Calleja, and several members of the 1975 Law Class of the University of the Philippines – filed a petition which challenged the constitutionality of the allocation, release and disbursement of confidential funds to government departments and agencies.

Carpio and his group’s petition also challenged the legality of the 2016 Executive Order No. 2 and Joint Circular 2015-01 which exempt the confidential funds from the people’s right of access to information. The SC has not acted on the petition.

Aside from Vice President Duterte, named respondents in the petition filed by Carpio and his group were Bersamin, the Senate led by President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the House of Representatives led by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, officials of the Department of Education, DBM, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and others.

In the petition filed by Colmenares and his group, the SC was told that the release of P125 Million to VP Duterte as ‘confidential fund’ is unconstitutional because there was no congressional appropriation for the OVP in the 2022 Government Appropriations Act (GAA) in violation of Section 1, Article VI of the Constitution.

The group said that Section 1, Article VI of the constitution declares that “the legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines.”

Thus, it said, the Executive department is not authorized to pass its own budget outside of the appropriations law.

The group also told the SC that “the request, receipt, and use by Vice President Sara Duterte of the confidential funds in 2022 without congressional authorization, also violated Section 29(1) of Article VI of the 1987 Constitution.”

Section 29(1) states that “no money shall be paid out of the treasury except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law,” the group said.

In its press statement, the group of Colmenares said that “there is no way for VP Sara Duterte to legitimately spend P125 million in 11 days and during Christmas at that.”

“The Petitioners, therefore, added a prayer to declare the said confidential fund fully auditable and therefore subject to rigorous auditing by COA for any signs of corruption and irregularities,” it said.

 

 

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