Claim: The Commission on Audit (COA) has cleared the Office of the Vice President (OVP) of alleged corruption.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post was uploaded on December 5 by a page with 4,800 followers. As of writing, it has 215 reactions, 33 comments, and 68 shares.
The post shows a photo of Vice President Sara Duterte with the caption: “VP Inday Sara Duterte cleared sa COA at sinasabing sumunod sa international standard ang OVP.”
(Vice President Sara Duterte cleared by COA, which said that the OVP follows international standards.)
The post also claimed that mainstream media did not report on the COA findings.
The bottom line: COA has not issued any statements clearing Duterte’s OVP of any issues.
While the commission did give Duterte’s office an “unmodified opinion” on the fairness of the presentation of the OVP’s financial statements for 2023, state auditors have in fact flagged several issues with the OVP’s programs.
The commission reported that the OVP’s “PagbaBAGo Campaign” had “incomplete guidelines and procedures” and lacked ample details on the beneficiaries, item management, and the distribution process for the promised school bags and dental kits.
COA also noted the lack of preparedness in utilizing the budget of the OVP’s “Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day” after finding that only P600,000 out of the P150 million budget was spent as of December 31, 2023.
Similar comments were given on the OVP’s disaster welfare programs after “various deficiencies in the distribution of the welfare goods,” primarily in the documentation list of beneficiaries and situational reports during the distribution process, were noted.
COA opinion: The Facebook post may have been referring to COA’s “unmodified opinion” to claim that the OVP has been cleared of any alleged corruption. However, COA has previously stated that an “unmodified” or “unqualified” opinion is issued if the “financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.”
According to the commission, an “unmodified opinion” on an agency’s financial statements “does not provide any conclusions on the agency’s level of compliance with laws, rules and regulations, nor the application of the principles of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the agency’s operations.”
Not the first time: This was not the first time the COA flagged deficiencies in the OVP’s fund utilization.
Earlier in August, state auditors disallowed P73 million worth of the OVP’s confidential funds for 2022 due to “non-submission of documents evidencing the success of information gathering/and or surveillance.” The commission also flagged P164 million in Duterte’s 2023 confidential expenses.
Issues surrounding Duterte’s use of confidential funds are among the grounds cited in the two impeachment complaints against her.
Reported by mainstream media: Print, broadcast, and digital media have published reports on COA’s 2023 reports on the OVP, contrary to the post’s claim.
Rappler has already published several fact-checks about the OVP’s use of funds:
- FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte not cleared over alleged confidential funds misuse
- FACT CHECK: OVP’s confidential funds not yet cleared by COA
- FACT CHECK: Contrary to claims, COA has flagged deficiencies in OVP’s 2023 spending
- FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte’s OVP confidential fund not from Office of the President
– Kyle Marcelino/Rappler.com
Kyle Marcelino is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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