SUMMARY

Sara Duterte, Vice President and Education Secretary, defended using confidential funds,

claiming that criticism of such allocations implies hidden motivations (Giselle Ombay, 2023).

She stressed the significance of this money in maintaining security and dealing with problems.

Those opposed to the funding, according to Duterte, endanger national security and impede

progress. The Vice President's Office has requested P500 million in confidential funding for

2024, whereas the Department of Education, led by Duterte, has suggested P150 million. The

House Committee on Appropriations chairwoman, Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co,

suggested reallocating this money to prioritize intelligence and security forces. Senator Juan

Miguel Zubiri expressed a similar desire. Because it was not included in the previous year's

budget, critics questioned the OVP's P125 million confidential expenses in 2022. Duterte

justified the allocation, stating that citizen safety precedes arbitrary deadlines. The Commission

on Audit reported that the spending occurred over 11 days. However, the OVP emphasized that it

happened over 19 days. Minority Leader France Castro accused Duterte of deceiving

transparency advocates and called her commitment to accountability into doubt. Duterte's

characterization of critics as "enemies of the state" was interpreted as an attempt to keep the

proposed P650 million confidential fund for 2024.

Reference:

GISELLE OMBAY,GMA Integrated News & GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News.

(2023, October 5). Sara Duterte: “Ang kontra sa confidential funds ay kontra sa kapayapaan” |

News |. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/884236/vp-

sara-ang-kontra-sa-confidential-funds-ay-kontra-sa-kapayapaan/story/