Physical equipment worth P3.5 million charged to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s confidential funds should have been logged as state property, but testimony presented during her ongoing impeachment trial has failed to clarify the current location or official turnover of the items.
“Ngayon mahalaga po ang P3.5-M. Sa iba, medyo maliit kumpara po sa iba na mga amount. Pero ito pong mga furniture na pinaggamitan po ng P3.5-M, supposedly these are all automatically a government property,” House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong emphasized on Sunday.
The P3.5 million item forms part of the P73.287 million in fourth-quarter 2022 Office of the Vice President (OVP) confidential expenditures that were flagged under a Commission on Audit (COA) notice of disallowance. Audit records indicate the funds were used to purchase items such as desktop computers, printers, tables and chairs, though auditors determined the purchases lacked sufficient documentation to justify a confidential purpose.
“Ang tanong, saan po napunta ito? Meron bang turnover na nangyari?” Adiong asked.
Prosecution panel members emphasized that while payments made to confidential informants may withhold recipient details for security, physical property acquired with public funds remains subject to standard inventory and accounting rules. Adiong noted that testimony gathered from witnesses failed to identify where the acquired items were installed or who assumed custody.
“So sa atin pong nakita at narinig na mga testimonya ng witnesses, mukhang wala pong—hindi po nagkaroon ng turnover. Dahil mismo pong testigo nila, hindi po nila maituro kung saan itong mga equipment na ito,” Adiong pointed out.
The prosecution is citing the equipment purchases to bolster its case that the OVP failed to comply with state accounting regulations governing confidential spending.
“Paano nai-turnover itong mga equipment na ito? Wala po. Mukhang nawala na parang bula,” Adiong stated.
The P3.5-million allocation was flagged in the initial notice of disallowance targeting OVP confidential funds, which also covered millions in reward payments that auditors deemed insufficiently documented. The defense team will present its side, address the prosecution’s claims, and account for the physical assets when it begins its defense before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.