OVP Confidential Fund Discrepancies Flagged in Audit

A FORMER Commission on Audit (CoA) auditor on Monday testified before the Senate impeachment court that the Office of the Vice-President’s (OVP) liquidation reports for its December 2022 confidential funds contained discrepancies and expenditures that did not comply with government rules. Former auditor Roderick C. Wamil said acknowledgment receipts exceeded the corresponding accomplishment report by P150,000 and identified several expenses that were not allowed under the joint circular on confidential funds. He also said the Office of the Vice-President had failed to submit supporting documents for a P10-million reward payment. Political analysts said the proceedings could lead to stricter oversight of confidential funds across government agencies. To streamline proceedings, the House of Representatives prosecution panel presented summary evidence instead of individually introducing 845 acknowledgment receipts related to the OVP’s December 2022 confidential funds. The prosecution also presented certified true copies of selected acknowledgment receipts bearing the names of recipients, including Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piattos, Nova Santos, Mico Harina, Janice Marie Revilla, Patty Ting, Andy Lim, Alejandro Pikit, Feonna Biong, Sisfrunio Balsac, and Gabriel Bisaya. Earlier this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority said it found no civil registry record for the name Mary Grace Piattos. During his testimony, Mr. Wamil said the OVP under Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio was the only Office of the Vice-President audited for confidential funds during his tenure with the CoA from 2014 to 2024. He also said the Department of Education was audited for confidential funds only while Ms. Duterte headed the agency. The OVP received P500 million in confidential funds through four quarterly releases from December 2022 to July 2023, while the Department of Education received P112.5 million during the same period, bringing the total confidential funds under Ms. Duterte’s leadership to P612.5 million. Political analysts said the impeachment proceedings could lead to tighter oversight of confidential funds. University of Santo Tomas political science instructor Paul Micah S.A. Francisco said the case showed that confidentiality does not remove accountability and could pressure government agencies to exercise greater care in spending such funds. University of the East political science professor Eric Daniel C. de Torres said the proceedings highlight the need for consistent policies governing the use of public funds across all government officials. Mr. Francisco said the evidence increases pressure on Ms. Duterte’s defense but noted that impeachment remains a political process in which conviction ultimately depends on securing enough votes in the Senate. He also said the case exposed institutional weaknesses, arguing that CoA’s oversight should apply consistently across all government agencies rather than selectively.