Some online users are claiming that the Office of the Vice President spent P40 million of its confidential funds for medical and food aid to “save lives.” This is unproven, as the office led by Sara Duterte did not submit supporting documents in liquidating the alleged expenses, according to a state auditor who testified before the Senate impeachment court.
First published on Aug. 4 by an FB page claiming to be a “news/media company,” the baseless graphic bore side-by-side photos of Duterte and Commission on Audit auditor Roderick Wamil, formerly assigned to the agency’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, who testified as a prosecution witness on the OVP’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Citing Wamil’s testimony, the purported “breaking news” card carried the following text:
“HINDI NILUSTAY, KUNDI GINAMIT PARA MAKASAGIP NG BUHAY | P40-MILLION NA BAHAGI NG CONFIDENTIAL FUND NI VP SARA GINAMIT SA PAGKAIN AT GAMOT
(Not wasted, but used to save lives | P40 million from VP Sara’s confidential funds was used for food and medicine).”
The claim was later echoed by an FB user, who further alleged that, according to Wamil, the P40 million in secret expenditures was spent on medicine and food “for the poor.”
On Day 12 of the impeachment trial on Aug. 4, accomplishment reports submitted by the OVP to the COA and presented by the House prosecution team showed that Duterte’s office spent P42 million and P40 million for medical and food aid in the first and second quarters of 2023, respectively.
However, when asked by private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan if the OVP submitted any documents showing that payments were indeed made for medical or food supplies, Wamil answered “No.”
He mentioned nothing about “saving lives” or whether the aid was distributed for the “indigent,” contrary to what the online posts claimed.
Wamil also flagged these payments as being outside the exclusive list of allowable confidential expenses under Joint Circular No. 2015-01 governing the use and limits of confidential and intelligence funds.
“The provision of medical and food aid and payment of incentives or traveling relative to the confidential operations expenses do not fall among those enumerated under Item 4.8 of the joint circular. Thus, the same should not be charged against the confidential fund of the agency,” Wamil read from an audit observation memorandum.
VERA Files previously debunked other disinformation related to Duterte’s impeachment trial.
- FACT CHECK: News graphic ALTERED list of OVP secret fund recipients
- FACT CHECK: Diokno did NOT admit ‘fishing expedition’ in Sara Duterte’s impeach trial
- FACT CHECK: NO official records show that Sara Duterte’s impeach trial costs ‘P25M,’ ‘P70M’ a day
The FB posts containing the claim with no basis, including the original copy by page Pinoy Showbiz (created on March 1, 2018 as Showbiz Fanaticz), collectively received 11,471 reactions; 1,482 comments and 745 shares, with one reel viewed 4,300 times. A YouTube video carrying the unproven claim garnered over 3,600 reactions and 503 comments.
