VP Spokesperson Confirms Meeting COA on OVP, DepEd Secret Funds

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal counsel and defense spokesperson Michael Poa on Tuesday confirmed that he was among those who met with Commission on Audit (COA) officials to request an “audit query” regarding the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) and Department of Education’s (DepEd) use of confidential funds (CF). Poa said he did remember the meeting. “I remember,” Poa said when asked if he was part of the delegation that met with the COA. He, however, declined to give further details about the meeting, citing confidentiality. “I cannot disclose further details as it is confidential,” Poa said. Earlier, Senator Risa Hontiveros had called for a thorough investigation into the P125 million confidential fund of the OVP and the P150 million confidential fund of the DepEd in 2022. Hontiveros said that the OVP and DepEd should be transparent in their use of confidential funds, especially since these funds are sourced from taxpayers’ money. The OVP and DepEd have been allocated P2.29 billion and P2.47 billion, respectively, for their confidential and intelligence funds in the 2023 national budget. Source: Inquirer NewsInfo