THE Commission on Audit (COA) has issued a notice of disallowance (ND) covering P375 million in confidential funds used by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2023.
The ND, dated March 31, 2026, was released to the media by House Justice Committee member Bicol Saro party-list representative Terry Ridon on Monday, April 20, 2026. The OVP was ordered to return the said amount to the government.
The amount was released in three tranches from February to September 2023.
COA said that of the amount, P261,300,000 was disallowed in audit for the following reasons:
Failure to submit supporting documents evidencing the success of the information gathering and/or surveillance activities on account of the information given (P62 million)
Insufficient documents supporting the purchases of supplies and provision of medical/food aid (P199 million)
Cash advances utilized for reimbursement purposes (P300,000)
The agency said that aside from Vice President Sara Duterte, former OVP Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, former chief accountant Julieta Villadelrey, and former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) are deemed liable for the disallowed amount.
“Please direct the aforementioned persons responsible/liable to settle immediately the said disallowance. Audit disallowance not appealed within six (6) months or 180 days from receipt hereof shall become final and executory as prescribed under Sections 48 and 51 of Presidential Decree No. 1445,” COA said.
The COA also disallowed P73 million in confidential expenses of the OVP in 2022. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)