VP Sara assures full cooperation with ongoing audit

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said her office has received audit actions regarding the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

"We have submitted our responses, and we assure our full cooperation with the ongoing audit. I am, however, bewildered as to the issues being propagated on the fact that we were able to efficiently utilize funds given to the OVP in December 2022, considering that we, in the government, usually disburse millions — if not billions of pesos — in a single day," Duterte said in her opening statement during the budget hearing for 2025 proposed budget of the OVP.

"And what makes it even more perplexing is that government agencies are often criticized for low budget utilization rates. For this proposal, as an example, we were even required to explain the low utilization or disbursement rates and present a catch-up plan for such," the Vice President added.

On the issue of security personnel, Duterte clarified that during the time of her predecessors, the protection team was only limited to the Vice Presidential Security Detachment (VPSD).

"During my term, however, there were legal issuances made by the DND, AFP, PNP and NAPOLCOM for the creation of the AFP Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (and the PNP Vice Presidential Protection Division," she said.

"It must also be clarified that the number of security personnel is not determined by the OVP. We are mere recipients of the security personnel detailed to the office. To date, there are no more PNP personnel with the OVP," the Vice President added.

Duterte also said that she will not violate the confidence of a few members of the House of Representatives who have either recorded conversations or participated in shared conversations regarding impeachment proceedings against her.

"Nonetheless, this is nothing new. Talks of impeachment have been going on for several months now," she said.

"In fact, a member of the Lower House has publicly declared in an interview where she was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer saying that: 'In light of the possible numerous violations of the OVP on the use of the P125 million confidential fund, which is not in the 2022 General Appropriations Act, we are not discounting the fact that it may file an impeachment case against the Vice President.' Surprisingly, despite the absence of proof as to any wrongdoing, she has already revealed the grounds for impeachment when she was also quoted saying, 'Especially on the misuse of public funds and technical malversation and violating the 1987 Constitution.'"