The Commission on Audit (COA) has issued a notice disallowing P73 million of confidential funds used by the Office of Vice President (OVP) Sara Duterte in 2022, as revealed in documents presented to the House Committee on Appropriations.
During the hearing, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro questioned Vice President Duterte about the disallowed funds. However, Duterte redirected the discussion, stating that the hearing was focused on the proposed P2-billion budget for the OVP for 2025, which does not include any confidential funds. "Discussions should be germane to the topic...This is a hearing on the budget for 2025. Where are the confidential funds here?" Duterte responded.
Rep. Castro, serving as the House Deputy Minority Leader, had sought clarification from Duterte on how her office managed the P73 million in confidential funds in 2022. Castro pointed out that, according to the COA notice of disallowance, the P73 million represented 58.63% of the P125 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP in 2022. Despite repeated questioning, Duterte did not provide a direct response.
The Vice President instead turned to Marikina Representative Stella Quimbo, the senior vice chairperson of the House budget panel, accusing her of allowing Castro to make a "snide comment" and requesting permission to make a similar remark. Quimbo replied that she did not recall any snide comment being made.
As the questioning continued, Castro accused Duterte of behaving like a "squid," evading direct answers by diverting the conversation. Duterte countered by questioning Castro's legitimacy in the House, citing a lower court conviction related to child endangerment, which is currently under appeal.
The exchange continued to be heated, with Castro accusing the Office of the Vice President of acting evasively. "Huwag naman mag-ugaling pusit ang Office of the Vice President," Castro remarked, implying that Duterte's responses were similar to a squid releasing ink when cornered.
No comments:
Post a Comment