MANILA Rep. Rolando Valeriano on Wednesday urged potential whistleblowers to come forward with any information, evidence or testimony regarding the alleged misuse of funds by Vice President Sara Duterte amid questionable audit reports on the utilization of Office of the Vice President (OVP) funds.
Valeriano made this call in Wednesday’s opening of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s investigation into the OVP’s spending based on a privileged speech he delivered last September 3 in the plenary of the House of Representatives.
“If there are any whistleblowers with information, evidence, and testimony about the supposed OVP socioeconomic programs, they are most welcome to contact the Chairperson of this Committee, the Committee Members, or this Representation,” Valeriano declared in his opening statement.
In his privilege speech, Valeriano raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency in how the OVP used billions of pesos for its socioeconomic programs, highlighting the absence of supporting documentation, such as evidence of beneficiaries and partnership agreements.
“She expected us to take at face value the figures in her presentation, when there is much reason for us here in Congress to doubt the veracity of the figures in the presentation. We have not seen any paper trail or electronic trail that would serve as evidence of beneficiaries and partnership agreements,” he said.
Valeriano criticized Duterte for her refusal to answer questions about the OVP’s proposed 2025 budget and the questionable spending patterns revealed by the Commission on Audit (CoA).
“Her claim of leaving it to the House to do what it thinks is right is just a palusot, a smokescreen, a cover,” he added.
Valeriano further questioned the OVP’s claim of serving over two million beneficiaries in Metro Manila.
He stressed that local government units and district representatives would have been involved or at least informed if such a large-scale program had truly been implemented.
“Kung totoong may beneficiaries, imposibleng hindi mabalitaan ‘yan ng sinumang district congressman sa Metro Manila lalo pa’t tinatayang dalawang milyong beneficiaries daw ang nakinabang sa loob ng dalawa’t kalahating taon at ang halaga ng pondo ay halos FOUR BILLION pesos para sa 2022, 2023, at 2024,” he declared.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, the panel’s chairperson, echoed Valeriano’s concerns in his own opening remarks, reminding the committee of Congress’ vital role in overseeing government spending.
“We have to ensure that funds are spent solely for purposes for which they have been appropriated, kabilang dito ang pagsisiguro na ang pag-gasta ay may tamang awtorisasyon ayon sa legal intent at purpose,” Chua explained.
Chua emphasized the importance of Congress’ oversight function, which does not end with the passage of the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Valeriano also challenged the OVP’s transparency regarding its socioeconomic programs, which allegedly concentrated in Metro Manila but failed to present verifiable evidence.
“Mahigit three weeks na po mula noong unang OVP budget hearing, pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nagsusumite si VP Sara o sinuman sa Office of the Vice President ng solidong dokumento o detalye,” he pointed out.
Both lawmakers expressed hope that the inquiry will lead to greater transparency and accountability in the use of taxpayer money.
