‘Stop petty, childish threats’: Solon urges VP Duterte to make sense of P125-M confidential funds spending

October 20, 2024 , 02:01 PM

By Bea Rollo

(October 20, 2024) – A lawmaker on Sunday urged Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to act more maturely and provide a clear explanation of how she spent the P125 million in confidential funds allotted to her office in 2022.

“I mean these are very serious issues that need to be explained well. Confidential and intelligence funds – by whatever name you call it – are still public funds that are derived from money that every ordinary Filipino pays in the form of taxes. It’s hard-earned money for them,” House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said.

“It’s very disturbing to see the second highest official of the country resorting to petty threats, childish threats. Can she not make sense of the P125 million confidential funds that she must have enjoyed for spending it in just 11 days?” he emphasized.

Acidre criticized the Vice President’s defensive stance, calling it an act of entitlement and arrogance. He added that her refusal to engage lawmakers in a substantive discussion about the disallowed funds reflects poorly on her leadership.

ALSO READ: Sara’s ‘theatrics’ only distracting Filipinos from quad committee revelations, say groups

“Her demeanor during the press conference, as usual, says it all. It’s very telling,” Acidre remarked.

Duterte-Carpio recently criticized President Marcos, accusing him of having ample time to focus on “deception” and claiming he doesn’t know how to lead the nation.

ALSO READ: ‘Ang daming oras’: Sara, who’s facing controversies, blasted for latest rant against Marcos

Acidre urged Duterte-Carpio to stop shifting blame and take responsibility, especially as her public approval ratings continue to decline. He called on the Vice President to lead by example and ensure that all public expenditures from her office are transparent.

“Resorting to blame game will not solve her problem, most especially her declining ratings. As a leader, she should lead and set the example of how a good leader should be – by making transparent expenditures and disbursements made by her office.”

Duterte-Carpio is currently facing scrutiny regarding the use of confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Recently, the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that her office spent P16 million of its P125-million confidential funds on rented safehouses in just 11 days in December 2022.

(AAD)

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