A leader of the House of Representatives claimed Sept. 25 that the amounts being scrutinized in the congressional probe of the alleged misuse of funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) surpassed the country’s threshold in plunder laws.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said in a press release from the Office of Speaker Martin Romualdez that the inquiry, which is being conducted in aid of legislation, is crucial to determine whether there are irregularities in the disbursement of public funds, and not meant to play politics.
“It is incumbent upon us, who are duty-bound to ensure that our legislation and regulations are effective enough to protect the money of the people, to investigate and get to the bottom of these glaring irregularities,” Chua added.
The panel is particularly focused on the P125 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP that was spent in just 11 days in 2022, he alleged.
The Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed P73 million of the P125 million, a staggering 60 percent of the confidential funds allocated for the OVP in 2022.
Chua revealed that the remaining P500 million set for 2023 is also being reviewed, with only P51 million having been cleared by COA, so far.
The committee also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in how the OVP handled its confidential funds. Chua claimed in the press release that “the rapid liquidation of funds, coupled with insufficient documentation, suggests that the proper processes may not have been followed.” ||
