Duterte camp to take P73-M COA disallowance to SC

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte will challenge before the Supreme Court the Commission on Audit’s (COA) decision affirming the disallowance of P73 million from the P125 million in confidential funds released to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in December 2022.

Lawyer Michael Poa said the camp will file a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 after the COA Commission Proper denied its motion for reconsideration.

“When we filed our motion for reconsideration, we were always hoping for the best but also expecting the worst,” Poa told reporters in a press briefing.

“We anticipated that this might have been the resolution of the COA Commission Proper and we’ve always been ready with that,” he added.

Poa said the petition will be filed under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court, which provides a remedy for questioning acts of a tribunal, board or officer exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions when there is no appeal or other adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law.

The OVP previously said it had anticipated the possibility that COA would sustain the disallowance and was prepared to respond through the appropriate legal and institutional channels. It also said it had yet to receive a copy of the 5 October resolution.

The P125 million in confidential funds was released to the OVP in December 2022, during Duterte’s tenure as vice president. The COA audit later resulted in the disallowance of P73 million.###