Vice President Sara Duterte’s immediate push for confidential funds in 2022 reflects practices carried over from her tenure as Davao City mayor, House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said.
Speaking at a press briefing, Adiong highlighted testimony from OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio showing that while the OVP had no confidential fund allocation under former Vice President Leni Robredo, Duterte requested P250 million from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) less than two months after taking office.
Ortonio confirmed that Duterte personally determined the amount, which initially lacked supporting computations or plans until requested by the DBM.
“There’s no other explanation… other than what they have already accustomed in Davao,” Adiong said, linking the request to testimony from former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta regarding Duterte’s reliance on confidential funds while leading Davao City.
The OVP eventually received P125 million in December 2022, reporting the entire amount spent in just 11 days. Adiong noted this rapid depletion points to a deliberate effort to exhaust the funds, reinforcing impeachment charges alleging the misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds across the OVP and the Department of Education.