House Panel May Suggest Case vs. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte over DepEd Confidential Funds Spending
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President is urged to account the P112.5 million Confidential Funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) during her term.
In June, Vice Pres. Duterte resigned from being the secretary of DepEd after around two (2) years of leading the education department. According to her, her decision stemmed from both personal and work reasons after an initial statement it was out of compassion for the teachers and the students.
During her term as the DepEd Secretary, there was a time when Duterte was involved in a controversy of the spending of the education department’s Confidential Funds. The 2022 CIFs spending was questioned in 2023 and it was one of the loudest issues that had effects on other government offices.
Following the issue, five (5) government offices including the DepEd were refrained from having Confidential Funds. However, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has yet to clarify the spending of the DepEd’s P112.5 million Confidential Funds during her term.
According to the report, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability said that they might suggest to file a case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte if she “fails to account for P112.5 million in confidential funds which were encashed as cash advances”. According to House Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., it is their duty to push through with the legal procedures if the Vice President cannot provide a clear explanation on the spending of the DepEd’s CIFs.
“Pera ito ng taumbayan, at kailangan nating tiyakin na ito ay nagamit ng tama,” Gonzales said.
Based on the report, the House panel may recommend a plunder case against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Gonzales stressed that it is non-bailable and may punish a life imprisonment.
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was also involved in several issues over the deliberation of the OVP budget proposal for 2025 in the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the OVP is asking for a P2 billion budget for next year.
However, after a spar with some House members on the initial deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP as she allegedly does not want to answer questions as per some House members, Vice Pres Sara Duterte was no show at the resumption of the budget deliberation.
The House has decided to give Duterte’s office a P733 million budget for 2025. Prior to it, Vice Pres. Duterte assured the public that her office will continue to work regardless of the budget.