Vice President Sara Duterte cannot use being "confidential" as an excuse not to answer questions from lawmakers regarding her office's use of confidential funds, according to a former commissioner of the Commission on Audit (COA).
In an interview on One News' "Storycon" yesterday, former COA commissioner Heidi Mendoza said that Congress has oversight in the use of confidential and intelligence funds.
He referred to the joint circular on the use of these funds, which mandates the submission of accomplishment reports to the President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House.
"When you submit an accomplishment report, it's natural that you can be asked about it," Mendoza said in a mixture of English and Filipino.
"Congress has power in the budget ('power of the purse'), which they can use not only for making laws but also for oversight. When they ask questions as part of their oversight, you cannot ignore the Congress,” he added.
A former COA official confirmed that agencies can use aliases when reporting how confidential funds were used. However, he emphasized that it must be guided by a clear process and "control measures."
For example, he said there should be a journal where the true identities of those who received funds are listed.
"So if there is a demand, you can show the journal where the real name is listed," he explained.
In the case of Duterte's offices, Mendoza cited a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority that says some of the recipients match their records and real people.
"When did you use an alias and when did you use your real name (in acknowledgment receipts)?" asked the former COA official.
According to Mendoza, Duterte should face the issue directly and not avoid the questions of the lawmakers.
"We have reached a point where there are many doubts (about the use of funds)," said Mendoza, who also mentioned that the issue is also related to national security.
"The question of the people is, 'how was the fund used?'... If you insist that you will not answer to Congress, my question is, 'to whom are you accountable?' Congress is the representative of the people," he added.
