Consistent, Luistro says of OVP after COA flags its transactions anew

MANILA, Philippines — It seems that Vice President Sara Duterte’s office has been consistent in getting flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for questionable transactions, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said on Thursday.

Luistro, along with other lawmakers, was asked in a press briefing about a COA report on the 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, which stated that there were deficiencies or inconsistencies in the documentation of relief efforts conducted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

COA referred to almost P168 million in public funds used by OVP for relief operations, including inconsistencies in situational reports (sitreps) from the agencies or local government units concerned and in the OVP’s own sitreps, which involved P19.67 million, among others.

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“They’re consistent. The OVP is consistently flagged by COA. That would be all,” Luistro said.

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READ: COA also flags OVP relief ops involving P168 million

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said that it is the COA’s duty to flag activities that it may deem as irregular.

“It is the duty of COA; that’s the reason why COA was created. It is their duty to flag what the VP did. Were her actions correct and proper? Is what she did ethical? That is what we are talking about here, or were the vice president’s actions improper?” he asked.

Reports showed that aside from the inconsistent sitreps, state auditors also noted deviations from approved mission orders during actual operations, worth P39 million; as well as the issuance of “open-ended” mission orders amounting to P84.1 million.

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The report also noted deficiencies in beneficiary documentation and distribution records, including incomplete or missing required documents involving funds worth P25.2 million.

“These deficiencies reduced assurance on the completeness, reliability, and verifiability of relief distribution records and weakened controls over relief operations,” the COA report said.

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Regarding the deviations from the mission orders, COA said the OVP cited operational adjustments due to changing field conditions as the reason.

The adjustments were said to be due to changes in schedules, distribution locations, quantity of relief items, and the amount of rice distributed. However, COA noted that the “absence of documented approvals weakened assurance that the changes were properly authorized and supported.”

The OVP also claimed that their staffers needed “operational flexibility during emergencies.”

In one instance, the required relief distribution sheet was unavailable “due to records reportedly lost during Typhoon Kristine (international name: Trami) and was replaced with explanatory and certification documents.”

COA audit reports were a key factor in the impeachment case against Duterte.

For the presentation of its evidence on Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, or the allegation that there was misuse of confidential funds (CF) lodged in Duterte’s offices, the prosecution banked on COA reports about the confidential expenditures within OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), while it was under the vice president.

Two state auditors also testified before the Senate Impeachment Court as to why they flagged several items in the OVP’s P500 million CF from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, and DepEd’s P112.5 million CF for the first three quarters of 2023.

At one point, state auditor Roderick Wamil said that part of the CF allocated to the OVP was disallowed because it was used to buy medicines used as rewards — a move that does not fall under the list of purposes specified under a 2015 Joint Circular.

Wamil explained that under the Joint Circular No. 2015-01 of the COA, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Government Commission for GOCCs, and the Department of National Defense, purchase of medicines are not allowed.

READ: OVP used secret funds to buy P40-M meds, but that’s not allowed – COA

Wamil also said that after auditing over 30 agencies’ confidential and intelligence fund expenses over 10 years, he saw agencies rely  on acknowledgment receipts (ARs) and not submit official receipts only during Duterte’s time.

ARs are documents provided to the COA to show that funding reached its intended beneficiaries, which in the OVP and DepEd’s case, are confidential informants.  These documents are signed by the beneficiaries to prove that they received payments — like the controversial Mary Grace Piattos which the prosecution claims to be a fictitious personality.

READ: Auditor: First time to see agencies rely on acknowledgment receipts

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Another state auditor, Xylene Mae del Campo, testified that several activities cited by Duterte’s office as reasons for confidential expenses — from tree-planting activities, provision of wheelchairs, and even Christmas parties — are not allowed under the Joint Circular. /das