Vice President Sara Duterte should first account for the public funds under her office and face the allegations against her before the Senate impeachment court before demanding greater transparency from other government officials, a private prosecutor said Wednesday.

Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the House prosecution panel, said Duterte should examine her own handling of public funds before suggesting that she was being singled out in calls for accountability.

“If you want transparency, start with yourself. Where are you spending your billions in…vice presidential funds?” Kapunan said during a press conference.

Kapunan was referring to the P2.3-billion budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for fiscal year 2023, which included P500 million in confidential funds.

The lawyer questioned how the funds were used, particularly those allocated for programs that the OVP classified under its “good governance program.”

Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta testified Monday, 17 August, that the program included initiatives such as tree-planting activities and the Vice President’s “libreng sakay” program.

Kapunan argued that lawmakers and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not be blamed for providing the OVP with funding, saying Duterte had been entrusted to use public money for its intended purposes.

“If you are pointing a finger at all other government agencies, there are three fingers pointing back at you. So, you start with yourself and start with presenting yourself, accounting for public funds in the impeachment court,” Kapunan said.

Duterte on Tuesday called for transparency over the official travels of government officials after reports that a travel authority she sought for a trip to Japan had been canceled.

The Vice President said accountability “should not be demanded from a single government office alone” and urged Malacañang to disclose travel authorities issued by the Palace, along with corresponding expenses involving public funds.

“From hereon, we expect that all travel authorities issued by the Palace, together with the corresponding travel expenses and public funds involved, be made available to the public,” Duterte said.

Kapunan, however, accused Duterte of attempting to divert public attention from issues being raised during her impeachment trial.

“Every time that the impeachment trial gets heated, she conducts a press conference. She’s confusing the public,” Kapunan said, citing Duterte’s filing of another perjury case against a prosecution witness in Quezon City.

“It’s as if she’s changing the story so that people will not focus on the impeachment,” she added.

The impeachment trial has faced multiple suspensions due to inclement weather brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Upon the resumption of proceedings, Acosta is expected to return to the witness stand for the completion of the prosecution’s direct examination, followed by cross-examination by Duterte’s defense lawyers and questions from senator-judges.