The Senate Impeachment Court must track the exact trajectory of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s P612.5 million in confidential funds to uncover where the public money ultimately ended up, civic group Bantay Senado urged on Saturday.
Atty. Dino de Leon of Bantay Senado argued during a news forum that tracing the cash flow will reveal whether the allocations financed legitimate secret operations or merely funded political favors.
“Public money leaves a trail. The movement of money does not lie. Follow the money,” De Leon said. “If the trail leads to political allies, favored networks, or individuals connected to the Vice President, then the public will see confidential funds for what they may truly have become.”
De Leon alleged that the funds,particularly the P25 million spent by the Office of the Vice President in just 11 days in December 2022—were likely channeled toward patronage politics, noting that “the timing of the disbursement is not an accident.”
Offering his personal assessment as a veteran legal practitioner, De Leon noted, “Sa aking personal na tingin, batay sa ebidensya at bilang practicing lawyer ng mahigit isang dekada, ginamit ang confidential funds para sa kinasusuklaman nating patronage politics.”
To counter suspicions of graft, De Leon stressed that Duterte’s defense team must produce concrete proof validating how every peso was spent. “It (defense) must identify the genuine recipient, establish the lawful purpose of every expenditure, and prove that the money reached legitimate confidential operations,” he added.
The P612.5 million under scrutiny covers P500 million disbursed to the OVP between December 2022 and September 2023, alongside P112.5 million allocated to the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure as Education Secretary. Following recent testimony from Commission on Audit officials regarding these liquidations, De Leon maintained that the evidence presented firmly supports a conviction by the senator-judges.