The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, August 4, dismissed claims that she is the first vice president in Philippine history to receive confidential funds, calling such assertions historically inaccurate.
Atty. Michael Poa, a member of Duterte’s defense panel and her spokesperson, explained following the impeachment proceedings that he deliberately raised the issue while cross-examining a Commission on Audit (COA) witness to counter misleading information spreading online.
”As you know, sa socmed kahapon ang dami ko nakita, parang pinapalabas si VP Sara lang ang first ever VP na nagkaroon ng confidential funds,” Poa said. “I think that’s unfair,” he added.
Poa stated that widespread social media posts falsely framing Duterte as the sole recipient of such funds prompted him to directly address the matter during the Senate impeachment trial.
”Pa-fact-check nyo naman kung ilang vice presidents ang nagkaroon ng confidential funds, para lang patas tayo, para lang hindi naman yung nasa sentro lang lumalabas misleading news na si VP lang in our history ang nagkaroon ng confidential funds as a vice president,” Poa said.
He emphasized that setting the record straight was necessary to safeguard his client’s rights against false narratives surrounding her office’s access to confidential allocations.
”But again, the only point I wanted to make there, because I wanted to protect the rights of my clients, especially rights against itong misleading information na siya lang yung VP na nagkaroon ng confidential funds,” he added.
Poa noted that previous vice presidents who were granted confidential allocations likely had legitimate grounds for their usage, presenting a 2014 Department of Budget and Management (DBM) document showing that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) received confidential funds during former Vice President Jejomar Binay’s tenure.
He clarified that while the OVP’s 2022 confidential funds were not listed in that year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), both the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) received authorized allocations in 2023.
According to Poa, the COA witness merely confirmed that Duterte was the only vice president audited for confidential funds during his specific term of service, which should not be misconstrued as proof that she was the first to ever receive them.