CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS | Lagman hits ‘flawed’ release of P125 million for OVP’s confidential funds

September 26, 2023 , 07:55 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(September 26, 2023) – A Bicol lawmaker on Tuesday slammed the release of P125 million for the confidential funds under the office of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio last year, describing it as “flawed” and questioning its constitutionality.

Albay Congressman Edcel Lagman also released a copy of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s letter to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in August 2022, requesting P403.46 million for confidential funds and the augmentation of funding for a number of its programs.

Lagman, during plenary debates on the proposed 2024 budget under the Office of the President (OP), said the OVP’s request for the release of funds by augmentation and for confidential funds are both “prohibited.”

“The transfer or release by the Department of Budget and Management of P125 million from the contingent fund of the President is flawed,” Lagman said in a manifestation to the plenary.

“The release by DBM of P125 million from the Office of the President’s contingent fund to the Office of the Vice President is flawed.”

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman reads Vice President Sara Duterte’s letter to DBM requesting for confidential funds @News5PH https://t.co/yGSa13iUcR pic.twitter.com/sHp22Tt0wb

— Marianne Enriquez (@mariannenriquez) September 26, 2023

He also stressed that a fund transfer from OP to OVP is “unconstitutional” because the charter only allows fund transfers “with respect to constitutional officers like the President relative to savings for augmentation of any deficient allocation in their respective offices.”

In the letter, the OVP said it wanted P250 million in confidential funds for the “safe implementation of the various projects and activities under the Good Governance program and the conduct of official engagements and functional representation in international and domestic events as instructed by the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr).”

The requested confidential fund was twice the amount of confidential funds that state auditors said OVP spent during that year.

Minority lawmakers have been demanding Duterte explain how it spent its 2022 confidential funds after state auditors flagged the spending despite the office having no allocation for confidential funds under the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

The OVP’s 2022 budget was prepared by Duterte’s predecessor, Leonor Robredo, who had not requested confidential funds under her office in that year.

In recent weeks, Duterte has lambasted her critics, including ACT Teachers Congresswoman France Castro and Senator Risa Hontiveros, for questioning the confidential funds. She also denied allegations of irregularities in the confidential expenses, but it remained unclear why her programs needed the confidential funds.

For next year’s budget, Duterte is also seeking confidential funds amounting P500 million under the OVP and P125 under the education department. But cause-oriented groups wanted lawmakers to realign these allocations to “more urgent needs.”

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