Sara Duterte’s secret funds: Same-day receipts issued across 300 sites

MANILA, Philippines — Acknowledgement receipts (AR) backing Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential fund (CF) spending showed that some were issued on the same day across 300 locations nationwide, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Sunday.

In a statement, Alonto Adiong said the same-day receipts added further scrutiny to her use of the funds, which prosecutors alleged were embezzled.

“It was found that not only did the acknowledgement receipts have no matches with PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) entries, but also that ages were questionable, as well as the periods when recipients supposedly received funds,” he said in Filipino.

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“Some receipts even showed people receiving twice in a single day, and disbursements were recorded in roughly 300 areas nationwide,” he added.

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READ: Duterte’s anomalous CF use system has roots in Davao City – solons

Duterte faces an impeachment trial over four articles alleging acts that have made her unfit for office, including claims that she bribed officials, threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and amassed wealth beyond her declared income.

Duterte was also accused of improperly handling funds meant for security-related activities, including P500 million in confidential funds released to the Office of the Vice President and another P112.5 million released to the Department of Education, which she headed from 2022 to 2024.

Prosecutors last week wrapped up their presentation of Article I of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte, which focuses explicitly on the alleged misuse of CFs.

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Prosecutors traced where CFs were encashed and included testimony from a PSA official who said some recipients were not in the national database, while others were children or dead.

“Acknowledgment receipts, certifications, or liquidation reports alone are not sufficient, because it must be proven that these documents correspond to real transactions and actual spending,” Alonto Adiong said.

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The prosecution alleged that the recipients who signed off on the ARs were fictitious. It remains unclear who received the money flagged as misused. /mcm