Manila Rep. Joel Chua on Wednesday said the amounts being scrutinized in the congressional probe of the alleged misuse of funds by Vice President Sara Duterte and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) surpassed the country’s threshold in plunder laws.
Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also said 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.
“I must stress at this point that the sheer vastness of these potentially misused funds sets this matter apart from other instances of irregularity and disallowance – these amounts easily surpass the threshold for the crime of plunder under our laws,” Chua said in his opening remarks.
“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,” he added.
The panel is particularly focused on the P125 million confidential fund allocated to the OVP that was spent in just 11 days in 2022.
Chua called attention to the alarming speed at which the funds were used, noting that the OVP’s liquidation reports raised more questions than answers. He pointed out that the documents submitted lacked detailed breakdowns and appeared to have been hastily prepared.
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 discrepancies prompted the committee to deepen its investigation into how the funds were used.
“Wala pang kalahating buwan, naubos na daw ang P125M (The P125M was reportedly spent in less than a month),” Chua said, expressing disbelief at how such a large sum could be spent in such a short amount of time.
The OVP claimed that the funds were used for surveillance in 132 areas during the holiday season, but lawmakers found this justification difficult to believe.
Chua assured that the inquiry is not politically motivated, but is aimed solely at ensuring the proper use of public funds. “This investigation is not prompted by any motive other than a desire to make the numbers make sense,” he clarified.
The lawmaker highlighted the responsibility of lawmakers to safeguard taxpayer money, especially in cases involving confidential funds that are less subject to scrutiny. “We are duty-bound to protect our people’s hard-earned money,” he said.
The committee also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in how the OVP handled its confidential funds. Chua pointed out that the rapid liquidation of funds, coupled with insufficient documentation, suggests that the proper processes may not have been followed.
He stressed that public accountability is essential in cases like this, where large amounts of taxpayer money are involved.
“We seek to learn the truth of how public money is being used… 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,” Chua emphasized.
Under Republic Act No. 7080, any public official may be charged with the crime of plunder if that person accumulates ill-gotten wealth amounting to at least P50-million.
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