The Office of Vice President Sara Duterte (OVP) said Wednesday, July 5, it used its confidential fund "appropriately" for the year 2022 amid questions surrounding a Commission on Audit (COA) report that stated it utilized millions of pesos from its budget for the said year.
"The Confidential Fund has been utilized appropriately for its intended purpose and in accordance with the guidelines set by the national government," OVP said in a statement.
Questions were sought to Duterte's office after COA reported that the OVP spent P125 million of its confidential funds for the year 2022.
However, it was not clear which administration spent the amount—whether it was Duterte or former vice president Leni Robredo, who was still in office until the end of June 2022. The OVP, under Robredo's term, did not spend a single centavo on confidential funds in 2021.
Meanwhile, Duterte's office also clarified the decrease in the amount of financial assistance given by the OVP in 2022.
It said that the decrease in the amount of subsidy from Fiscal Year 2021 to Fiscal Year 2022 "was due to a lower amount of budget/appropriation under the 2022 General Appropriations Act."
OVP said that was part of the anticipated election ban and transition in 2022.