MANILA – The House of Representatives’ committee appropriations chairman Zaldy Co criticized Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio for supposedly resorting to “diversionary tactics” instead of answering questions regarding the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential fund usage in 2022.
In a video interview on Tuesday, Duterte claimed that House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Co meddled with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2023 budget.
“Ang budget ng Pilipinas ay hawak lang ng dalawang tao. Hawak lang siya ni Cong. Zaldy Co at ni Cong. Martin Romualdez. ‘Yan ang katotohanan,” Duterte-Carpio added.
Co dismissed Duterte-Carpio’s interview.
“Malinaw, diversionary tactic ang video message ni VP Sara. Tulad ng tatay niya, gusto niyang ilihis ang usapin sa tunay na issue na kinakaharap niya,” Co said.
He added: “Ayaw niya kasi magpaliwanag tungkol sa P125-million confidential funds spent in 11 days. Talagang tatak Duterte na yata ang pambubudol, pekeng sagot sa mga issue.”
Duterte-Carpio said she was surprised when some congressmen asked her for a portion of the budget, saying it was not clear what the lawmakers wanted or how the funds would be used.
“Sa Department of Education noong taong 2023, mayroong P5 billion na in-approve para sa classroom construction. Nagulat ako kasi mayroong mga lumapit na miyembro ng House na humihingi. Hinihingi nila ‘yung P5 billion, parte ng P5 billion na budget,” Duterte-Carpio said.
“‘Ano ba ang, magkano ba ang amin diyan?’ So, sinabi ko, ‘Hindi pwede ito. Kasi ang mangyayari nito hindi magagawa ng Department of Education ang trabaho namin na mag-construct ng classroom ayon sa classroom backlog at sa prioritization,’” she added.
“So, sinabihan ko ‘yung isang congressman, ‘Sabihan ninyo si Martin Romualdez na hindi pwedeng chop-chopin ang classroom construction na P5 billion,’” she further said.
Since she did not approve the reduction of the P5-billion classroom budget, Duterte-Carpio said the budget was blown up to P15 billion in the General Appropriations Act, with the P10 billion allegedly controlled by Romualdez and Co.
“Kung makikita ninyo sa budget proposal na approved ng Office of the President P5 billion ‘yun. Pero noong lumabas ‘yung GAA o ‘yung budget approved noong 2023, naging P15 billion siya dahil hindi nga ako pumayag na kunin ‘yung P5 billion,” Duterte-Carpio said.
“Dinagdagan nila ng P10 billion ‘yung classroom construction ng Department of Education. ‘Yung P10 billion na ‘yun hindi kontrolado ng Department of Education. Controlled ‘yun ni Cong. Zaldy Co at Cong. Martin Romualdez,” she added.
The video interview released on Tuesday, the same day she was supposed to attend the resumption of the House budget deliberations of her office’s 2025 proposed budget./PN
