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Ni ROMEO ALLAN BUTUYAN II
KUNG pagbabatayan ang Commission on Audit (COA) report, maliwanag sa sasabit si Vice President Sara Duterte kung walang matinong paliwanag sa paglustay ng P73.2-milyong intelligence fund ng Office of the Vice President (OVP) at P12.3 bilyong budget ng Department of Education (DepEd) noong nakaraang taon.
Ayon kay House Majority Leader at Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe, maaaring sampahan ng kasong katiwalian si VP Sara.
Hirit pa ni Dalipe sa Commission on Audit (COA), gumawa ng pinal na ulat at rekomendasyon patungkol sa mga kinukuwestyon na paggastos sa pondo ng OVP — gayundin ang DepEd na dati niyang pinamumunuan.
“More than just allegations of mismanagement, she may be held liable for graft, for possible violation of the anti-graft laws, if she cannot adequately explain and justify the adverse findings, and if the COA does not accept her explanations and justifications,” sambit ng House Majority Leader.
Ayon kay Dalipe, una nang hiniling ng state auditors na ibalik ng bise presidente ang nasa P73.2 million mula sa P125 million in intelligence funds, na ginastos lamang sa loob lamang ng 11 araw, o P11.36 million kada araw matapos itong patawan ng notice of disallowance.
“This raises serious questions about the propriety of how these funds were used. The fact that ₱73 million was flagged means that the public deserves answers. If the Vice President’s office cannot explain or rectify these discrepancies, this could lead to more than just administrative penalties. It could point to criminal liability for graft,” dugtong ng Zamboanga City solon.
Mayroon ding kahalintulad na direktiba umano ang COA kay Duterte dahil naman sa kaduda-dudang paggamit sa P12.3 bilyong pondo ng DepEd noong siya pa ang Kalihim.
“Based on its audit report on DepEd for 2023, the last full year VP Duterte headed the agency, the COA issued notices of suspension amounting covering P10.1 billion, notices of disallowance totaling P2.2 billion,” ani Dalipe, bukod pa umano ang notices of charges na halagang P7.38 milyon sa pondo ng kagawaran ang COA dahil sa naman sa “non-compliance with existing laws and regulations.”
Giit ni Dalipe, dapat ipagpatuloy ang pagsuri sa mga paggastos hanggang sa matukoy ang bulilyaso.
“No one, regardless of position, is above the law. If public funds were misused, we owe it to the Filipino people to hold those responsible accountable,” pahabol ni Dalipe.
