Vice President Sara Duterte’s Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) are under scrutiny for allegedly misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds.
Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua voiced dismay over the OVP and DepEd expenditures, describing them as “improper” and “unexplained” over a two-year period.
In his opening statement to the House Blue Ribbon Committee, Chua highlighted numerous discoveries showing questionable spending by both agencies during 2022 and 2023.
VP Sara Duterte served as DepEd Secretary from July 2022 until her resignation in July 2024.
Chua questioned how the P612.5 million in confidential funds was spent, urging further transparency on its disbursement.
He expressed disappointment that only a few officials testified in the hearing, with key disbursement officers absent from the proceedings.
Chua identified VP Sara and Special Disbursement Officers Gina F. Acosta for the OVP and Edward D. Fajarda for DepEd as responsible for explaining the funds’ allocation.
Out of the P612.5 million, P500 million went to the OVP while P112.5 million was allocated to DepEd.
One concerning expenditure noted by Chua was the P16 million spent by the OVP for 34 safe houses over 11 days in 2022.
Chua also questioned the P15 million DepEd confidential fund used for Youth Leadership Summits and anti-extremism programs.