Palace to Duterte who said admin is dividing budget: See bicam hearings

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang challenged Vice President Sara Duterte to clear her name first amid allegations of misuse of confidential funds before claiming that the administration is preparing to “break the Constitution.”

In a statement, Duterte previously said the country is already drowning in floods and poverty, but that no one would be held accountable because the focus is on her impeachment.

She had also said that dividing the 2027 budget and preparing ways to break the Constitution to stay in power are the priorities of the Marcos administration and his allies.

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Reacting on Wednesday to Duterte’s remarks, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro advised the vice president to closely watch the bicameral conference committee hearings if she is concerned about the 2027 budget.

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“As for the alleged dividing up of the 2027 budget, she will be better off focusing on that, especially during the bicameral conference committee proceedings,” she said at a briefing.

READ: Palace sees enough evidence to convict Sara Duterte over CF misuse

As for the alleged preparations to break the Constitution, Castro said the impeachment proceedings follow the law and are meant to hold those responsible accountable.

“If someone is guilty, they should be convicted,” Castro continued.

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READ: Ortonio confirms paying P150,000 excess CF expenses out of pocket

She then cited the testimony of Assistant Secretary and Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio during Tuesday’s impeachment trial, in which he said he provided P150,000 out of his own pocket.

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This was done to cover excess expenses related to the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds.

“So there was already P125 million. But that apparently was not enough, and an additional P150,000 was allegedly obtained from Lemuel Ortonio. This violates the rules,” Castro said.

The Palace press officer also said that using cash advances to cover obligations incurred before the confidential funds were received or withdrawn is against the rules.

“So perhaps, it will be better for our vice president to look into all of these matters carefully so that the allegations she is making against the administration do not come back to her,” she suggested.  

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“It would be better for her to clear her office and prove that it did not commit any irregularities,” she added. /apl