Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

The Commission on Audit’s (COA) latest findings on P12.3 billion in alleged unsettled financial transactions at the Department of Education (DepEd) strengthens the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Thus, said Assistant Majority  Leader and Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, who noted that the allegation occurred during Duterte’s tenure as DepEd chief.

Duterte served as education secretary from June 30, 2022 to July 19, 2024.

The amount increased from P11.4 billion in 2022, indicating little to no progress in resolving the flagged transactions, Khonghun said.

“The red flags keep piling up. First, it was P125 million in confidential funds spent in just 11 days at the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Now, COA has flagged over P12 billion in unresolved transactions at DepEd under Duterte’s leadership. This isn’t just an oversight—it’s a pattern of seemingly financial mismanagement,” he said.

The Blue Ribbon panel, formally known as the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, previously investigated the OVP’s rapid expenditure of P125 million in confidential funds over an 11-day period in December 2022.

Further scrutiny revealed that 1,322 of 1,992 listed recipients of these funds lacked birth records, raising concerns about possible fabrication of acknowledgment receipts.

Similarly, the committee examined DepEd’s use of P112.5 million in confidential funds. The Philippine Statistics Authority found that 405 of 677 listed recipients had no birth records, adding to concerns about the authenticity of these transactions.

These investigations contributed to the filing of multiple impeachment complaints against Duterte, citing allegations of graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

On Feb. 5, 2025, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte, marking the first time a Philippine vice president has faced such proceedings.

Khonghun said the mounting evidence of alleged fund mismanagement further strengthens the case as the House prosecution team prepares for trial in the Senate.

He warned that the House prosecution panel may ask the Senate impeachment court to subpoena Duterte’s financial records to determine whether similar questionable financial practices occurred in both the OVP and DepEd.

“The COA report is just the tip of the iceberg. We need to follow the money. If the Vice President has nothing to hide, she should have no problem opening her financial records for scrutiny,” he said.

Khonghun urged the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, to take these findings into account and ensure full transparency in the proceedings.

“This COA report is damning. It exposes large-scale financial mismanagement in an agency with the largest budget in government. VP Sara must explain these findings, and the Senate must ensure accountability at the highest levels,” Khonghun said.