Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon opined that being issued an "unmodified opinion” by the Commission on Audit (COA) doesn’t exonerate the Office of the Vice President (OVP) from allegations of confidential funds misuse.

The unmodified opinion being referred to by the two Lawyer-legislators covered COA's findings on the OVP's financial statements for the last three years since 2022.

Vice President Sara Duterte--who is currently facing an impeachment complaint from the House of Representatives--has led the OVP since June 30, 2022.

Chua and Ridon said the public should not be misled into thinking that an unmodified or unqualified audit opinion would get the controversial lady official off the hook.

“Ang ibig sabihin po ng unmodified opinion, or unqualified opinion, ay ‘yung financial statements are prepared in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. So basically, sumunod ka lang dun sa framework kung paano dapat ino-audit ‘yung ahensya,” Ridon explained.

(An unmodified opinion, or unqualified opinion, means that the financial statements were prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. So basically, it just means the agency followed the framework on how the audit should be conducted.)

He stressed that this opinion does not cancel or negate the existence of irregularities found in COA’s separate audit actions.

“Hindi ibig sabihin nun ‘yung Notice of Disallowance doesn’t exist. ‘Yung P73 million na pinasasauli ay pinasasauli pa rin po hanggang sa araw na ito. Ibang ruta ‘yun, ibang batayan kung bakit po may ganun pong Notice of Disallowance na ibinigay dito po sa OVP," the Bicol Saro solon explained.

(That doesn’t mean the Notice of Disallowance doesn’t exist. The ₱73 million being ordered for return is still being pursued to this day. That follows a different route and is based on different grounds for why such a Notice of Disallowance was issued here at the OVP.)

Asked if he thinks the Vice President can use the unmodified opinion to defend herself against the impeachment charges, Chua said it does not absolve the OVP of accountability.

“Sa akin pong paniniwala, hindi po (Based on my belief, no),” Chua said. “Dahil papaano po nila ipaliliwanag kung paano nila ginamit o ginasta ‘yung P125 million in 11 days? Kahit hindi naman tayo auditor, kahit hindi naman tayo COA, tingin ko naman po hindi naman kinakailangan maging matalino para masabi na ito’y may problema o wala,” he said.

(How will they explain how they used or spent P125 million in just 11 days? Even if we’re not auditors, even if we’re not from COA, I believe you don’t have to be smart to see whether there’s a problem or not.)

Moreover, Chua said the audit rating does not diminish the findings of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which he chaired during the previous 19th Congress.

The panel exposed a lot of dirt when it comes to the OVP's utilization of its so-called secret funds. Much of its findings were cited in the impeachment complaint lodged against Duterte.

Meawhile, Ridon pointed out that several pieces of evidence, including questionable expenditures on so-called “safehouses", definitely raised eyebrows on the OVP's fund usage.

“Again, babalikan din natin ‘yung ilan sa mga ebidensya, particularly dun sa paggamit po ng mga safehouses. Ang pinag-uusapan ho natin sa safehouses dito, ang presyo ng upa para nga presyo ng upa sa mga exclusive na village, sa mga condo sa BGC (Bonifacio Global City)—P450,000, P500,000 per month,” Ridon said.

(Again, let’s go back to some of the evidence, particularly regarding the use of safehouses. What we’re talking about here in terms of safehouses are rental prices comparable to those in exclusive villages, condos in BGC—₱450,000 to ₱500,000 per month.)

He noted that these amounts are far higher than what is normally paid for safehouses by law enforcement or intelligence agencies.