DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 April) — A Davao City-based anti-corruption alliance on Tuesday said Vice President Sara Duterte’s failure to comply with the Commission on Audit’s (COA) order to return P375 million in confidential funds could weaken her political influence and affect her alliances with various groups.
This is on top of the P73-M earlier disallowed by the COA, raising the total amount that should be returned to P448-M.
Dr. Jean Lindo, chair of Gabriela Southern Mindanao and co-convenor of the Stand Opposition to Plunder or STOP Corruption Alliance, in a statement sent to MindaNews on Monday, said the COA’s order carries weighty implications beyond mere technical audit ruling.
“This is a tricky and complicated situation because if she does not comply, it is possible for COA to file a criminal case.Non-compliance may also erode her political capital and perhaps her alliances with various groups. This might be weaponized against her,” she said.
The human rights activist added that viewing Duterte’s case before the COA through a social accountability perspective underscores whether laws are applied equally to all public officials, regardless of position in government.
She said compliance with the agency’s order “would affirm that no one is above audit scrutiny.”
Lindo added that it is hard to ignore the COA’s findings, given the “strong public engagement through media coverage, watchdog groups, and grassroots discourse.”
“This sets a precedent because it will influence how the confidential funds will be handled in the future. Both the President and Vice President have these funds. Strong enforcement sets a deterrent effect. A weak enforcement risks normalizing misuse,” she said.
For his part, Rauf Sissay, a secretariat member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Southern Mindanao Region, said COA’s order for Duterte to return P375 million in confidential funds proves her office’s misuse of government funds.
He said the funds “could have been used for more pressing concerns, such as allotting subsidies for vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors that are currently reeling from the effects of successive oil price hikes and rising inflation.”
“We’d also like to underscore and reiterate — the VP should answer all the questions and allegations thrown her way. She and her office must be taken into account,” he said.
In its Notice of Disallowance dated March 31, 2026, the COA disallowed a total of P375 million comprising cash advances of the confidential funds in 2023 of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), covering the periods February 6 to March 29, April 25 to June 30, and July 14 to September 30 of that year.
The COA noted that the directive “given by Hon. Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to Ms. Gina F. Acosta to release the cash advances for confidential expenses to Col. Raymund Dante P. Lachica, the Head of the Vice President’s Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), was contrary to Item 6.1.1 of COA-Department of Budgetment DBM-DILG-GCG-DND Joint Circular no. 2015-01 dated January 8, 2015.”
The joint circular prohibits their transfer from one accountable officer to another.
According to COA, Duterte herself approved the transactions, including utilization of the cash advances; Acosta served as special disbursing officer (SDO) of the Office of the Vice President (OVP); and Lachica, former head of the VPSPG, received the cash advances for confidential expenses despite not being the SDO.
The COA directed Duterte, along with Acosta, Lachica, and Julieta L. Villadelrey, chief accountant of the OVP, to immediately settle the disallowed amount.
It also added that reports from the OVP “did not specify the particular accomplishments demonstrating success of the information gathering and/ or surveillance activities directly related to the confidential operations.”
It said that purchases of supplies and provisions of medical/food aid using the confidential funds were supported only by acknowledgement receipts.
“To ascertain the validity of such purchases of supplies and provisions of medical and food aid, we deem it necessary that they be substantiated with appropriate documents such as official receipts or sales invoices,” COA stated.
It stated that audit disallowance not appealed within six months or 180 days from receipt of the notice shall become final and executory.
The Office of the Vice President received the Notice of Disallowance on April 8. This latest disallowance is expected to be discussed on Wednesday, April 22, during the third classificatory hearing of the House Committee on Justice on the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte.
Duterte did not attend the March 25 and April 14 hearings and will skip again the third hearing on April 22. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
