Renee Co said it is time for Vice President Sara Duterte to explain allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds during her upcoming impeachment trial before the Senate.

Co, who also serves as spokesperson for the House Prosecution Panel, said she believes the issue of confidential funds is the strongest case that prosecutors have against the Vice President.

“Pera yan ng bayan, pera ng bayan na hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nasasagot kung san napunta,” she said during a radio interview on DZRH.

The lawmaker noted that Duterte accumulated a combined P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and during her tenure as secretary of the Department of Education in 2023.

In March and April this year, the Commission on Audit issued Notices of Disallowance directing Duterte and several officials to return P448 million in confidential funds.

Co argued that the amount could have funded the construction of around 800 classrooms. She pointed out that a COA report showed only 192 classrooms were built during Duterte’s stint as Education secretary, far below the target of 6,379 and her earlier claim that 3,637 classrooms had been established through DepEd.

Aside from the alleged lack of spending on education projects, Co said reports indicated that some funds may have been used for leadership training activities involving the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which some groups flagged as possible red-tagging seminars.

Regardless of the reports, Co said Duterte should personally explain how the funds were spent.

“Sana marinig natin yung sagot dahil ang puno’t dulo po nito, buwis po natin yan eh, na nagtitiwala tayo na ginamit para sa nakalagay na purpose ng mga government agencies,” she said.

“Ayaw natin na maulit ‘to at ito rin yung paraan para ma-ensure natin na wala ng korupsyon sa gobyerno,” she added.

The confidential funds issue is one of four Articles of Impeachment filed against Duterte based on complaints consolidated by the House Committee on Justice.

The three other articles involve allegations of bribery of public officials, unexplained wealth, and alleged threats made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Duterte’s impeachment trial is expected to begin on 6 July. Her defense team has until 1 June to submit its formal reply to the allegations.