In a significant development, a House leader has called upon the House Blue Ribbon Committee to delve into the Commission on Audit’s (COA) report, which has highlighted over PHP12.3 billion in unresolved financial transactions at the Department of Education (DepEd) during the time Vice President Sara Duterte served as its secretary. House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Representative Jay Khonghun emphasized that the COA’s audit report from 2023, which pointed out DepEd’s failure to address notices of suspension, disallowance, and charge, could bolster the impeachment case against Duterte. The report showed an increase in these unresolved issues from PHP11.4 billion in 2022 to PHP12.3 billion by the end of Duterte’s term as education secretary in June of the previous year. Khonghun criticized the situation as indicative of a pattern of financial mismanagement, especially in light of previous controversies involving PHP125 million in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President in just 11 days. The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability had previously investigated these expenditures, as well as a PHP112.5-million confidential fund at DepEd, where discrepancies were found in the birth records of listed recipients. These investigations have fueled impeachment complaints against Duterte, culminating in her impeachment by the House on February 5, marking her as the first Philippine vice president to face such proceedings. Khonghun suggested that the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, should subpoena Duterte’s financial records for a thorough examination. He stressed the importance of transparency and accountability, especially given the scale of financial mismanagement uncovered in an agency with the government’s largest budget.
House Leader Calls for Probe into COA’s Findings on DepEd’s P12.3 Billion in Unsettled Funds
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