Quimbo on release of OP contingent funds to OVP: 'I don't see anything improper so far''

Marikina City 2nd Rep. Stella Quimbo (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Contributed photo, MANILA BULLETIN) (Contributed photo)

Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo insisted on Monday, Sept. 18 that there was nothing wrong with the Office of the President's (OP) release of P221.42-million worth of contingent funds to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022. 

Included in the P221.42 million was the controversial P125-million confidential funds that the OVP liquidated late last year. 

Quimbo's House colleagues from the Makabayan bloc have been taking Vice President Sara Duterte to task over the unauditable confidential funds. The militant solons have repeatedly said that Duterte must explain how her office utilized the money. 

"Wala naman akong nakikitang so far na anything improper (I don't see anything improper so far), at least based on the NEP (National Expenditure Program) and based on the statement issued by our appropriations [committee] chair [Ako Bicol Party-list Rep.] Zaldy Co," Quimbo said in a chance interview.

"So pinaliwanag naman po na ito ay used of contingent fund at mayroon naman pong existing line item at ito yung good governance at social services project (So it was explained that this came from the contigent fund, and that there's an existing line item, particularly on good governance and social services project)," the appropriations panel senior vice chairperson said. 

Co shared last Sept. 14 details of a letter from Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman that gave context to the release of funds from OP to the OVP. 

In the letter, Pangandaman said the P125 million released to the OVP by the OP came from the P7 billion earmarked as contingent funds for 2022, and was "intended to support the OVP’s good governance engagements and social services projects".  

With this, the DBM assured the House that the latter's power of the purse wasn't subverted. 

Quimbo said: "It is also very evident doon sa (in the) NEP, kita naman po na very consistent naman siya doon sa chapter na contingent fund as well as doon sa chapter sa OVP budget (obviously its very consistent with the chapter on contingent fund, as well as on the chapter of the OVP budget)." 

"So consistent naman po lahat ng documents so far as well as sa briefings na ginawa samin ng DBM (So far it's consistent with all the documents well as sa briefings that the DBM conducted on us)," she noted. 

At any rate, Quimbo acknowledged that the actual utilization of questioned funds remains unknown. 

"So malalaman pa lang po natin yan starting tomorrow kasi mag-uumpisa pa lang ang plenary debates bukas [sa 2024 national budget] (We will find that out starting tomorrow when we begin the plenary debates on the 2024 national budget)," she said.