MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Monday that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) showed a pattern of misuse of confidential funds after the Commission on Audit’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) issued notices of disallowance (ND) covering P375 million in 2023 and P73 million in 2022, citing similar grounds.
Ridon made the statement during an ambush interview at the House of Representatives. He said auditors cited comparable findings in both disallowances, which he said indicated repeated issues in the use of confidential funds.
COA-ICFAO issued the ND on the OVP’s P375 million confidential fund expenditures for 2023. Auditors cited several grounds, including the involvement of unauthorized individuals in fund disbursement, lack of proper supporting documents, failure to justify that purchases related to confidential activities, and the use of reimbursements.
Ridon said the OVP released confidential funds through unauthorized officials, including Col. Raymund Lachica, based on disclosures from previous congressional hearings. He added that the OVP used acknowledgment receipts instead of official receipts to support nearly P200 million worth of purchases.
COA-ICFAO also reported that the OVP used cash advances from May 18 to July 6, 2023, for reimbursements. Auditors stated that reimbursements are not allowed under the joint circular governing confidential funds.
Ridon said auditors also found that some expenditures did not qualify as confidential expenses. He added that reimbursements further violated the rules on the use of confidential funds.
Ridon said Vice President Sara Duterte directed special disbursement officer Gina Acosta to transfer disbursement responsibilities to Lachica. COA identified Duterte, Acosta, Lachica, and OVP chief accountant Julieta Villadelrey as liable for the return of the disallowed P375 million.
Ridon said that if COA affirms the disallowance, the total liability of Duterte and her staff could reach P448 million, including the previously disallowed P73 million confidential fund for 2022.
Ridon said the findings could support impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, which include allegations of misuse of confidential funds.
During a House committee on justice hearing on April 14, lawmakers reviewed evidence on the confidential funds and heard a supplemental affidavit from Ramil Madriaga, a former aide of Duterte.
Madriaga said Duterte instructed him in December 2022 to coordinate with Col. Dennis Nolasco to deliver cash to several locations, including San Pablo, Laguna; a comedy bar in Quezon City; and the Office of the Ombudsman parking lot. He said the deliveries involved four duffel bags containing about P30 million to P35 million each.
Madriaga said the funds totaled about P125 million and that he liquidated the amount in one day.
The panel also examined findings from National Bureau of Investigation forensic experts. Examiner Carolyn Moldez-Pitoy said several acknowledgment receipts used for confidential fund expenditures contained signatures written by the same individuals.
Moldez-Pitoy said signatures for Sally Rendon and Sheila Dado matched, indicating they were written by one person. She added that signatures for Joseph Bitangcol, Celsa Arojable, Samson Sales, Samson Samuel, and Sabel Salazar also showed similarities.
