Vice President Sara Duterte’s trust rating is expected to further decline as she continues to avoid calls to explain the alleged misuse of confidential funds by her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as its secretary, a House leader said Thursday.

A Pulse Asia survey conducted in September showed that Duterte’s trust rating dropped to 61 percent from 71 percent in March and June. The poll also showed her approval rating fell to 60 percent from 69 percent in June.

The survey was conducted from 6 to 13 September, coinciding with the budget hearings in the House of Representatives, where Duterte clashed with lawmakers over the “questionable” use of the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President in 2022, which was flagged by the Commission on Audit (CoA).

Duterte snubbed the budget hearings for the OVP not once, but twice, and skipped the House investigation into her alleged fund mismanagement.

As a result of her defiance, the OVP’s proposed allocation for 2025 was reduced to P733.198 million from an initial request of P2.026 billion.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. said Duterte’s ratings will likely continue to plummet due to her refusal to exercise accountability, which he believes is a “key factor” for her declining performance ratings.

“We are not surprised by the continuous drop in VP Duterte’s ratings, especially since she does not explain the use of the OVP and DepEd funds. Filipinos expect public officials to be transparent in using government funds,” Gonzales said in Filipino.

“Filipinos are enraged over the improper spending of public funds, especially since she does not appear before congressional hearings to explain the irregularities found,” he added.

CoA findings revealed that of the P125 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP in 2022, P73.287 million was disallowed by auditors.

The CoA’s notice of disallowance indicated that the OVP spent P69.8 million on reward payments, including P10 million in cash, P34.857 million on various goods, and P24.93 million on medicines.

State auditors flagged the spending due to the lack of documentation demonstrating the success of the information-gathering and surveillance activities related to the rewards.

Additionally, the remaining P3.5 million was used to purchase chairs, desktop computers, and printers, but the OVP failed to specify that these funds were intended for confidential operations.

The P125 million was spent within just 11 days and was part of the P221.42-million contingent fund from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office, which was transferred to Duterte’s office as secret funds.

Opposition lawmakers had previously suggested that the allocation was unconstitutional, as it lacked a line item in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

In addition to the P73.287 million in disallowed expenses, the CoA also flagged P164 million in confidential funds for the OVP in 2023, Duterte’s first full year in office.

Gonzales highlighted that the repeated irregularities in the use of the OVP’s allocation constituted a “possible abuse of confidential funds.”

Beyond the issue of secret funds, Duterte faced criticism for leaving the DepEd with P12.3 billion in disallowances, suspensions, and unresolved charges by the end of 2023.

She was also under scrutiny for the DepEd’s failure to deliver critical projects, including the late distribution of laptops and other e-learning equipment.

House lawmakers criticized her for the P5.69 billion in food supplies that allegedly went to waste under the DepEd’s feeding program.

The 2023 audit report revealed several deficiencies in the program’s implementation, including the delivery of moldy, insect-infested nutribuns, rotting food items, unsanitary packaging, and mislabeled manufacturing and expiry dates to various schools.

Duterte led the DepEd for nearly two years before resigning on 19 June, when she was replaced by seasoned lawmaker Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.

Despite the ongoing allegations, Duterte has repeatedly denied any misuse of OVP and DepEd funds.

She claimed the accusations were part of a political attack aimed at undermining her aspiration to run for president in 2028.