VP Duterte, Palace officials face 3rd petition on P125M confidential funds

Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Makabayan bloc lawmakers, former solons, as well as other activists on Monday filed a third petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the P125 million confidential funds spent by Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022.Named as respondents in the petition were Duterte, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba was also included as respondent but as a “necessary party.”The petitioners, led by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Casto, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional and void the release by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Pangandaman as well as the receipt of Duterte of the P125 million government funds.“In sum, considering the above arguments, the Office of the President overstepped the limits of its power by establishing a budget item or appropriation, when it is Congress, not the Executive, which has the power to approve and promulgate the appropriations law,” the petitioners said. “At kung mapatunayan na ito ay unconstitutional, kailangan niyang ibalik, yun ang prayer natin, ibalik sa pondo ng taumbayan, lahat-lahat para mas pakinabangan, mas magiging transparent itong paggasta ng confidential funds, at pondo para sa ating mga mamayan ngayon, lalong lalo na sa mga social services, education, housing and other social services,” Castro said.The petitioners also said the P125 million confidential funds should also be declared as auditable by the COA in the same manner as it audits public funds.“That fund is in effect a regular fund, which should have been spent as such following the appropriate laws and rules on procurement and other stages of disbursement, and consequently must be audited the same way that all regular funds are audited,” the petitioners said.The Supreme Court has asked Duterte, Bersamin and Pangandaman to comment on the first petition filed by lawers Christian Monsod, Katrina Monsod, Barry Gutierrez and RP Santiago.<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/04/23/sc-asks-vp-sara-officials-to-comment-on-petition-vs-p125-m-confidential-funds'>SC asks Sara Duterte, officials to comment on petition vs P125 million confidential funds</a></li></ul>A second petition against confidential funds was filed by the group of retired senior associate justice Antonio Carpio.Aside from current Makabayan lawmakers, also standing as petitioners in the third petition are former Makabayan bloc representatives Carlos Zarate, Neri Colmenares, Ferdinand Gaite, Eufemia Cullamat, and Mong Palatino.“This obsession for confidential funds has to stop, and Petitioners ask the Honorable Supreme Court to put a stop to this anomaly that has drained so much from our public funds for years,” the petitioners said.“Bakit ayaw nilang ilagay sa budget, yung program, activities and projects nila para pondohan bat gusto nila sa confidential fund ilagay, may plano ba sila na nakawin ito, tratuhin ito na parang personal nilang pera, itong civilian agencies ah, I’m just not talking about the Vice President here,” Colmenares said.<figure class='op-interactive'><iframe height='315' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jqCtuIPT9Ws?enablejsapi=1' width='560'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>

“In sum, considering the above arguments, the Office of the President overstepped the limits of its power by establishing a budget item or appropriation, when it is Congress, not the Executive, which has the power to approve and promulgate the appropriations law,” the petitioners said. “At kung mapatunayan na ito ay unconstitutional, kailangan niyang ibalik, yun ang prayer natin, ibalik sa pondo ng taumbayan, lahat-lahat para mas pakinabangan, mas magiging transparent itong paggasta ng confidential funds, at pondo para sa ating mga mamayan ngayon, lalong lalo na sa mga social services, education, housing and other social services,” Castro said.The petitioners also said the P125 million confidential funds should also be declared as auditable by the COA in the same manner as it audits public funds.“That fund is in effect a regular fund, which should have been spent as such following the appropriate laws and rules on procurement and other stages of disbursement, and consequently must be audited the same way that all regular funds are audited,” the petitioners said.The Supreme Court has asked Duterte, Bersamin and Pangandaman to comment on the first petition filed by lawers Christian Monsod, Katrina Monsod, Barry Gutierrez and RP Santiago.<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/04/23/sc-asks-vp-sara-officials-to-comment-on-petition-vs-p125-m-confidential-funds'>SC asks Sara Duterte, officials to comment on petition vs P125 million confidential funds</a></li></ul>A second petition against confidential funds was filed by the group of retired senior associate justice Antonio Carpio.Aside from current Makabayan lawmakers, also standing as petitioners in the third petition are former Makabayan bloc representatives Carlos Zarate, Neri Colmenares, Ferdinand Gaite, Eufemia Cullamat, and Mong Palatino.“This obsession for confidential funds has to stop, and Petitioners ask the Honorable Supreme Court to put a stop to this anomaly that has drained so much from our public funds for years,” the petitioners said.“Bakit ayaw nilang ilagay sa budget, yung program, activities and projects nila para pondohan bat gusto nila sa confidential fund ilagay, may plano ba sila na nakawin ito, tratuhin ito na parang personal nilang pera, itong civilian agencies ah, I’m just not talking about the Vice President here,” Colmenares said.<figure class='op-interactive'><iframe height='315' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jqCtuIPT9Ws?enablejsapi=1' width='560'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>

Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba was also included as respondent but as a “necessary party.”The petitioners, led by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Casto, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional and void the release by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Pangandaman as well as the receipt of Duterte of the P125 million government funds.

MANILA — Makabayan bloc lawmakers, former solons, as well as other activists on Monday filed a third petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the P125 million confidential funds spent by Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022.Named as respondents in the petition were Duterte, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

The petitioners also said the P125 million confidential funds should also be declared as auditable by the COA.

VP Duterte, Palace officials face 3rd petition on P125M confidential funds | ABS-CBN News

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VP Duterte, Palace officials face 3rd petition on P125M confidential funds

VP Duterte, Palace officials face 3rd petition on P125M confidential funds