RED FLAGGED
A lawmaker is urging the House Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the Commission on Audit’s (COA) latest findings on P12.3 billion in alleged unsettled financial transactions at the Department of Education (DepEd) in its ongoing investigation.
According to House Assistant Majority Leader Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, this will strengthens the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Based on the COA’s 2023 annual audit report, it flagged DepEd’s alleged failure to settle massive notices of suspension, disallowance, and charge, which reached P12.3 billion by the end of Duterte’s term as education secretary.
The amount increased from P11.4 billion in 2022, indicating little to no progress in resolving the flagged transactions.
“The red flags keep piling up. First, it was P125 million in confidential funds spent in just 11 days at the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Now, COA has flagged over P12 billion in unresolved transactions at DepEd under Duterte’s leadership. This isn’t just an oversight—it’s a pattern of seemingly financial mismanagement,” Khonghun said.
The Blue Ribbon panel, formally known as the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, previously investigated the OVP’s rapid expenditure of P125 million in confidential funds over an 11-day period in December 2022.
Further scrutiny revealed that 1,322 of 1,992 listed recipients of these funds lacked birth records, raising concerns about possible fabrication of acknowledgement receipts.
Similarly, the committee examined DepEd’s use of P112.5 million in confidential funds. The Philippine Statistics Authority found that 405 of 677 listed recipients had no birth records, adding to concerns about the authenticity of these transactions.
These investigations contributed to the filing of multiple impeachment complaints against Duterte, citing allegations of graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
On February 5, 2025, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte, marking the first time a Philippine vice president has faced such proceedings.
He warned that the House prosecution panel may ask the Senate impeachment court to subpoena Duterte’s financial records to determine whether similar questionable financial practices occurred in both the OVP and DepEd.
“The COA report is just the tip of the iceberg. We need to follow the money. If the Vice President has nothing to hide, she should have no problem opening her financial records for scrutiny,” he said.
