The Presidential Communications Office on Tuesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not be compared to Vice President Sara Duterte over the use of confidential funds, describing such an argument as misguided.
PCO Undersecretary and Palace Press Office Claire Castro made the statement in response to media questions about criticisms raised by Duterte allies, including the Duterte Youth party-list, that President Marcos has access to the largest share of confidential funds in the national budget.
The group has floated a possible impeachment case against the president, which Castro reiterated is a process that is purely within the jurisdiction of the members of the House of Representatives.
“The President has no hand in whatever happens in that process,” Castro said in a press briefing. “It is completely within the authority of the House of Representatives,” she added.
Castro emphasized that any comparison between Duterte’s and Marcos’ use of confidential funds is misplaced.
“First of all, it seems that our President did not spend P125 million in just 11 days,” she said, referencing allegations against Duterte’s office during her concurrent term as Education Secretary.
Castro noted the Office of the President was never issued a Notice of Disallowance by the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding its use of confidential funds, nor was it linked to questionable receipts or documentation.
In contrast, Castro pointed to allegations that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) sought military-issued certifications to justify P15 million in spending for a youth summit, a move later denied by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Castro also responded to questions on the reported use of aliases in confidential and intelligence fund disbursements, asserting that such practices must still adhere to accounting rules.
“Even if aliases are used, the actual documents must be known to the Special Disbursing Officer (SDO),” Castro said, citing Joint Memorandum Circular 2015-01.
The PCO official added that original records should be kept in agency vaults and made available to COA auditors when required.
On Vice President Duterte’s claim that political tensions, such as her impeachment, should not be blamed for declining investor confidence, Castro said the administration prefers to rely on “documents and actual data.”
“She (Duterte) can frame her own narrative,” Castro said. “But from what we can see, she has no intention of helping the President with any issue concerning the country. That is unfortunate,” she added.
