House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability chairman, Representative Joel Chua, condemned Vice President Sara Duterte for allegedly abusing the trust of the people due to her misuse of confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million.
Chua expressed concern about the trust placed in elected officials, stating that even though they are elected, not all public officials should be trusted unconditionally.
“Siguro po panahon na upang harapin natin ang katotohanan na hindi lahat ng mga nahahalal o nalalagay sa posisyon sa gobyerno ay pwedeng basta-bastang pagkatiwalaan,” Chua said.
“Kailangan pa rin ng safeguards, pati sa ‘confidential funds’. Sapagka’t hindi maiiwasan na may mga magtatangkang gamitin ang pagka-confidential nito upang itago ang impormasyon at pang-aabuso sa tiwala ng taumbayan,” he added.
Chua emphasized that despite the term “confidential” in confidential funds, it does not give officials a free pass to escape accountability when questioned about the use of the money.
“Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, ang ‘confidential funds’ ay hindi ‘discretionary allowance’ o funds ng isang ahensya. Hindi sya secret funds,” he stressed.
“Ginagamit nila ang salitang ‘confidential’ upang magbigay sa atin ng pekeng ilusyon na kahit ito’y lihim, ang mga pondo ay ginastos nang tama—ngunit bakit kailangan ba itong itago sa mga taong tunay na nagpondo nito?” Chua added.
The Manila 1st district representative also pointed out that the Commission on Audit (COA) lacks a proper system to track the utilization of confidential funds.
“Pinaka-nakakabahala rin ay tila walang maayos na sistema o paraan upang masigurado o mai-check o audit ng COA na nasa wasto ang pag-gasta ng mga confidential funds,” he said.
Chua outlined the committee’s proposed measures to prevent future misuse of funds. One such measure is the Confidential and Intelligence Funds Act, which aims to impose stricter regulations on the allocation and use of confidential funds. This bill will require a comprehensive report detailing the destinations of these funds.
Another proposed bill is the Act Regulating Special Disbursing Officers and Imposing Penalties for Misappropriation, which seeks to establish stronger safeguards for public funds by amending the requirements for fidelity bonds and enforcing harsher penalties for their misuse.
“Panahon na upang magpatupad ng mas mahigpit na mga alituntunin sa paggamit ng confidential funds, para sa mga confidential na gastos,” Chua said.
“Kapag nagamit na ang confidential funds para sa kanilang layunin, wala nang dahilan upang hindi maging bukas at maging transparent,” he added.
Chua concluded by addressing the people’s right to know the truth about the use of their money.
“Ang mamamayang Pilipino ay may karapatang malaman kung saan napunta ang kanilang pinaghirapang pera,” he said.