The anomalies in her spending on confidential and intelligence funds in 2022 may be the basis of an impeachment complaint or complaint to oust Sara Duterte from her position as vice president, ACT Teachers Partylist and Makabayan senatorial candidate Rep. France Castro recently said. This was after Duterte refused to answer questions from House representatives regarding the funds and her proposed budget during a hearing in Congress on August 27.

“With the squandering of confidential funds, at a time when funds for public services are scarce, and with her refusal to explain this to the people, an impeachment complaint clearly has grounds,” according to Castro. She revealed that the Commission on Audit asked Duterte to return ₱73 million of the ₱125 million CIF due to her office’s “misuse” of said funds. The COA sent Duterte’s office a “notice of disallowance.”

Duterte failed to provide evidence of the rewards in the form of cash, goods and medicine. Also, CIF does not cover the purchase of office supplies, the COA said.

“It’s becoming apparent that Duterte was banking on the supposed veil of secrecy around Confidential Funds to hide her unlawful use of people’s money,” Castro said. “We in the Makabayan bloc stand by our call that confidential funds should be abolished because these secret discretionary funds are really prone to corruption.”

Castro also condemned Duterte for refusing to answer questions during her office’s budget hearing.

“You can’t commit an anomalous activity and get away with it, there must be accountability,” she said.