Amid Corruption Issues in PH, Palace Asked to Comment on Group Calling for VP Sara Duterte’s Confidential Funds Investigation
PALACE – Malacañang press officer Claire Castro reacted to the appeal of a group to investigate the confidential funds of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte earned countless criticisms over the alleged misuse of her offices’ confidential funds amounting to P625 million. The said funds were reportedly spent from 2022 to 2023. Since the issue broke, the Office of the Vice President have stopped asking for confidential and intelligence funds in their proposed budget.
With a budget request of P902.8 million, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is not asking for any confidential funds for 2026. However, despite the slim budget proposal, following her absence at the plenary deliberation of the proposed budget of the OVP, the House of Representatives moved to cut it to P733 million — the same budget allocated for her office this year.
While the House members believe that the budget cut on the OVP is a form of allegedly disciplining a brat, Senate Finance Committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian is on the other side — the retention of the proposed budget of Duterte’s office. The proposed budget of the OVP was swiftly approved during a Senate deliberation.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte ditched the House plenary deliberation of the proposed budget of the OVP after the lower chamber reportedly did not give in to her conditions. She wanted the House to mandate the attendance of Pres. Bongbong Marcos on the plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of the Office of the President.
The Vice President also wanted a proof of the lifting of the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) on some personnel of the OVP who were questioned in the spending of the P625 confidential funds. They are the following:
- OVP Chief-of-Staff Zuleika T. Lopez
- Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio
- Director, Administrative and Financial Services Office Rosalynne Sanchez
- Director, Strategy Management Office Sunshine Charry Fajarda
- OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta
- Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey
- Special Disbursement Officer Edward Fajarda
Recently, an opposition coalition group, Tindig Pilipinas, urged Ombudsman Boying Remulla to investigate the alleged misuse of the confidential funds of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The Malacañang Palace was asked to comment about it.
According to Palace press officer undersecretary Claire Castro, the investigation of the confidential funds issue of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte depends on the Office of the Ombudsman. Based on a report on GMA News, Ombudsman Remulla claimed that he has yet to read the letter of Tindig Pilipinas but assured that his office will act on it accordingly.
“It’s in the hands of the Office of the Ombudsman,” the Palace official said.
Previously, Ombudsman Boying Remulla confirmed that he will revisit the complaints filed against the Vice President. According to presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos, she is thinking of the safety of the life of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte following Remulla’s appointment as Ombudsman.