Lawmakers were stunned by the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) use of P16 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) to rent 34 safe houses for just 11 days in the last quarter of 2022, with one safe house costing nearly P91,000 per day — “higher than rates at high-end resorts like Shangri-La Boracay.”
Under Vice President Sara Duterte, the OVP spent the same amount of P16 million on safe house rentals in the first and second quarters of 2023, but with significantly longer rental periods compared to the 11 days in the fourth quarter of 2022.
In the third quarter of 2023, the OVP spent P5 million for safe house rentals covering 79 days, bringing the total rental expenses across all four quarters to P53 million.
These concerning details came to light during Thursday’s continuation of the investigation by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, often referred to as the counterpart of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, into alleged irregularities in the use of public funds by OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), both led by Vice President Duterte.
Records show that the OVP spent P16 million on rental payments for 34 safe houses, ranging from P250,000 to P1 million paid to each owner between Dec. 21 and 31, 2022.
These rental payments were detailed in the liquidation report submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify the spending of a total of P125 million in CIFs over just 11 days.
However, these expenditures were justified using acknowledgment receipts that were unsigned, illegible, missing names, or only included the signatures of recipients. These receipts also needed supporting documents such as lease contracts or other pertinent records.
Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the committee, questioned the nature of the safe houses rented, asking whether they were luxurious properties with amenities typically found in high-end resorts like Shangri-La Boracay, where a stay costs only around P25,000 per night.
Chua also compared the rental prices to those in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, noting that monthly rentals in the area are typically around P90,000, far lower than the daily rate of P91,000 paid by the OVP.
No one from the OVP was present during the hearing, prompting House members to address their questions to lawyer Gloria Camora, the team leader of the COA unit that audited the OVP’s CIFs in 2023.
“Hindi po ba kayo nagtaka kung bakit ganoon kamahal? Wala po kayong information kung gaano kalaki ang building (safe house)?” Chua asked.
Camora responded that the audit team needed more detailed information about the size or location of the rented properties.
During the interpellation by Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, Camora stated that the transactions related to the rental payments for safe houses complied with the documentary requirements outlined in the COA joint circular on the use of CIFs, including the questioned acknowledgment receipts.
Acop expressed frustration over Camora’s explanation that the COA relied solely on documentary proof of payment, with no way to verify the authenticity of the information on the acknowledgment receipts.
“So, walang paraan ang COA para malaman kung gawa-gawa lang ang mga acknowledgment receipts na sinubmit? Would my statement be correct?” Acop asked, to which Camora replied, “Yes, Mr. Chair.”
In his interpellation, Manila 1st District Rep. Ernesto “Ernix” Dionisio Jr. noted the inconsistencies in the OVP’s safe house rental spending between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023.
Dionisio questioned Camora about the OVP’s P16 million expenditure for only 11 days of rental in the fourth quarter of 2022, with Camora admitting, “Steep nga po lalo na po ‘yung sa 2022 since 11 days lang po siya,” acknowledging that the spending was disproportionately high.
The Manila solon then shifted to the first three quarters of 2023, where Camora confirmed that the OVP spent P16 million each in the first and second quarters, covering 53 days and 67 days, respectively.
“Mathematics lang eh —11 days versus 53 days,” Dionisio pointed out, questioning why the same amount of P16 million was spent for vastly different durations.
For the third quarter of 2023, Camora confirmed the OVP spent P5 million for 79 days.
“Hindi po ba na parang nakakapagtaka na 5 million [pesos] napagkasya sa 79 days tapos medyo extreme kumpara sa quarter 4 ng 2022 na 16 million for 11 days?” Dionisio observed.
Camora agreed that the 2022 spending was unusually high. “Pwede pong ganoon, Sir, na extremely malaki ‘yung gastos nung 2022,” she said.
Dionisio pressed further on the need for more detailed documentation besides acknowledgment receipts. “Ano po bang basehan niyo dito sa lahat ito, bukod po sa acknowledgment receipt?” he asked.
Camora replied, “No information,” even as she acknowledged the records were “very bare.”
Dionisio emphasized the need for stricter oversight. “That’s why importante itong Committee ng Blue Ribbon, in aid of legislation, so we can craft laws to prevent this from happening again,” he said, calling for new laws to protect public funds better.
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