The Office of the Vice President (OVP), under the leadership of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, is increasingly becoming a “suki” or frequent subject of negative Commission on Audit (COA) reports, according to House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers.
Barbers raised the concern as he pressed the agency to provide a full and transparent accounting of P168 million in disaster relief spending recently flagged by state auditors. Describing the OVP as “very consistent” in encountering audit issues, he stressed that public funds demand strict oversight.
“Ang masasabi ko lang diyan, very consistent ang OVP sa ganyang klaseng mga parang suki ng COA adverse findings,” Barbers stated.
The audit query stems from a special examination into the OVP’s utilization of the 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund. Auditors highlighted procedural and documentation lapses surrounding the P168 million allocation, which hindered their ability to confirm whether the aid reached its intended recipients.
Published reports noted that state auditors encountered unidentified relief recipients, undocumented adjustments during aid distribution, incomplete beneficiary registries, and discrepancies between reports submitted by the OVP and local government units.
Barbers emphasized that a clear paper trail is non-negotiable for an expenditure of this scale.
“Mahalaga ’yung audit trail doon sa ano, kasi P168 million ito eh. Ito ay, again, pera ito ng taong-bayan na dapat maliwanag at all accounted ang bawat pisong ginastos para dito,” he remarked.
He added that comprehensive documentation should detail the identity of the beneficiaries, the nature of the aid, and the specific disaster that prompted the government response.
“Kung ito ay sinabi mong ayuda, ayuda para kanino? Para sa ano? Kung ito ay isang disaster response activity, anong disaster ang nagkaroon? Kailan ito nagkaroon?” Barbers asked.
“All these details have to be reported so that it will answer these adverse findings ng COA. But absent all these justifications, talagang may question mark,” he added.
Despite the criticisms, Barbers noted that the OVP must be granted adequate opportunity to respond to the audit observations and submit missing documentation.
“So they have really to explain. I’m sure they’ll be given enough and sufficient time to answer these adverse findings of the COA,” Barbers said. “And if they can satisfactorily respond to the issues that are raised in these findings, then maybe they can avoid being a respondent to a notice of disallowance or a notice of suspension.”
In response to state auditors, the OVP explained that fluid conditions during disaster operations often necessitate on-the-ground modifications. COA, however, maintained that any adjustments must remain properly documented and supported by official records.
These latest audit observations surface while Vice President Duterte faces an ongoing impeachment trial, where prosecutors have focused heavily on allegations surrounding the misuse of OVP confidential funds.
Nonetheless, the special audit’s findings on relief operations do not constitute a rejection of the OVP’s broader financial standing. COA previously issued an unmodified opinion on the OVP’s 2025 financial statements, signifying that the agency’s overall accounts were presented fairly under applicable reporting frameworks.