Statement of Malacañang on COA Rating for Duterte Office’s Financial Report
Malacañang claimed that the rating of Commission on Audit (COA) on the budget report of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office allegedly does not prove that it has no anomaly.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives last February 5 following a series of hearings over the alleged misuse of the Confidential Funds of her offices. The House members also questioned the confusing names of the alleged recipients of the intelligence funds of the offices led by the Vice President.
The impeachment documents against Duterte was sent by the House to the Senate. However, recently, the Senate impeachment court ruled for its return to the lower chamber over constitutionality questions. Some senator judges also want a reconfirmation from the 20th Congress to tackle the case.
As for opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, she will block the motion of Sen. Bato dela Rosa over the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte asking the senators of their willingness to push through with the trial. She stressed that the duty of the senator judges to conduct a trial is not conditional.
Amid the ongoing issues about the alleged misuse of the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) when Duterte was still the DepEd secretary, the Commission on Audit released an “Unmodified Opinion” rating on the financial statements submitted by the OVP.
Previously, the spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President, Atty. Ruth B. Castelo, stressed that the OVP is receiving the “Unmodified Opinion” rating from COA every year since 2022.
“Ibig sabihin, unmodified opinion, maayos ang submission ng financial statements na ginawa. It is fairly presented. It is honest. It is transparent,” Castelo said.
Malacañang also spoke on the “Unmodified Opinion” rating of the Commission on Audit on the financial reports of the office of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a post of News5, Palace press undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro claimed that the COA rating is not a proof that there is no anomaly in the spending of the OVP funds.
The Malacañang official said the COA rating just refers to the right reporting of the financial statements of the OVP. Based on the post, she stressed that the spending of the budget is allegedly a different issue.
“Tama ang pagkaka-report. Balanse. Pero kung ginamit ng tama, iba pong isyu ‘yun,” Castro said.
Amid the looming impeachment trial, Malacañang does not favor the call that biased senator judges will inhibit from the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.