Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

"Suppression of public information" was what Vice President Sara Duterte sought to do when she tried--but failed--to prevent the Commission on Audit (COA) from submitting to Congress an audit report that declared as improper her office's spending of millions worth of confidential funds in December 2022. 

Thus, said Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, who praised COA for upholding Congress' authority to review the damning audit report on the Office of the Vice President (OVP). 

COA, through a Notice of Disallowance, ordered Vice President Duterte to return ₱73 million out of the ₱125 million in confidential funds that were spent by her office in just 11 days in December 2022. 

"The Constitutional power of Congress to review the spending of public funds is not just a right but a duty. It is our responsibility to ensure that every peso of taxpayers' money is spent for its intended purpose and not misused," Luistro stated. 

"This scrutiny extends beyond merely approving budgets—it involves a continuous evaluation of how these funds are actually spent, particularly when it comes to sensitive allocations such as confidential funds," added the lawyer-congresswoman, who has shown in her interpellations during the budget hearings and the quad-comm inquiry that she means business. 

Luistro emphasized that the OVP wasn't exempted from this congressional scrutiny. 

She says mismanagement of public funds, especially when involving large sums within short periods, calls into question the capability and integrity of those in charge. 

"Confidential funds are intended for specific, sensitive purposes that require a higher degree of discretion. However, this does not mean they are exempt from oversight. The public has a right to know if these funds are being used properly, and it is the role of Congress to ensure this through audits and other investigative measures," Luistro added.

OVP writes COA 

In a letter dated Aug. 21, 2024, just six days before the House Committee on Appropriations was scheduled to hear the OVP budget, Duterte's Undersecretary and Chief of Staff, Atty. Zuleika Lopez, advised COA against complying with the committee's subpoena duces tecum for the Notice of Disallowance and audits of the OVP and Department of Education's (DepEd) confidential funds for 2022 and 2023. 

The OVP argued that releasing the audit reports would violate the "Constitutional Principle of Separation of Powers" and infringe on the OVP's "right to due process." "The subject subpoena may not be validly enforced due to the nature of confidential funds," the OVP claimed. 

However, Luistro refuted these assertions, pointing out that the principle of Separation of Powers is not absolute and has well-established exceptions. She further emphasized that Congress had provided the Vice President with ample due process to explain the findings in the contentious audit report. 

"The principle of Separation of Powers ensures that no branch of government operates unchecked. But when it comes to the oversight of public funds, this principle must yield to the need for transparency and accountability. The Vice President was given every opportunity to explain the spending but chose instead to obstruct the process," remarked the Batangas solon. 

Before the Aug. 27 budget hearing of the OVP, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro sought from the COA its findings regarding the particular office's utilization of confidential funds. 

These findings were brought up before Vice President Duterte during the hearing of the Committeeo on Appointments, but she was largely uncooperative with the panel. The OVP budget ended up being deferred. 

"This scrutiny is not just about legality; it is about ensuring that the people’s money is used in a manner that truly benefits the public. When an official attempts to hide spending details, it undermines the very trust that the public places in its leaders," Luistro concluded.