Claim: The Commission on Audit (COA) has cleared the Office of the Vice President (OVP) of alleged corruption for its P125-million confidential funds controversy.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim currently has 118,461 views, around 2,400 likes, and 854 comments. It was posted on September 28 by a YouTube channel with over 20,900 subscribers.
What does the post say: The title of the video says: “Kakapasok lang 125M funds finally cleared na sa COA si VP Sara! Walang nakitang korapsyon iyak sila!” (Just in: VP Sara’s P125-M confidential funds has finally been cleared by COA! They didn’t see traces of corruption! They will cry!)
Clips from Vice President Sara Duterte’s press conference, memes, and a House hearing involving Atty. Gloria Camora, who audited the OVP’s confidential funds in 2023, and Congressman Romeo Acop were used throughout the video.
The facts: COA has not cleared OVP on alleged corruption and misuse of the P125-million confidential funds in 2023.
In fact, COA has issued a notice of disallowance on the P73-million confidential funds that the OVP spent in 2022, which meant their expenditures were “either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable,” according to COA assistant commissioner Alexander Juliano.
The House committee on good government and public accountability is also investigating irregularities on how the OVP used its P125-million worth of undisclosed quarterly funds in the last quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023.
ALSO ON RAPPLER
- Would you believe, drug war ‘architect’ Dela Rosa to launch own probe inviting Duterte?
- Camille Villar ramps up FB ad spending before COC filing
- In Metro Manila, political dynasties clash from within and between themselves
Out-of-context media: A reverse image search of Vice President Sara Duterte’s press conference clip used in the claim showed that it was taken from ANC 24/7’s September 26 video of Duterte claiming that the House was trying to impeach her with their “biased” questions.
Meanwhile, the House hearing clip involving Camora and Acop in the first part of the video was originally from a YouTube video uploaded by GMA Integrated News on September 25 as the House continued to investigate the alleged misuse of the budgets of the OVP and the Department of Education. The House hearing clip on the latter part of the video, on the other hand, was from Rappler’s September 18 video.
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has already published several fact-check stories related to Vice President Sara Duterte:
- FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte’s OVP confidential fund not from Office of the President
- FACT CHECK: Contrary to claims, COA has flagged deficiencies in OVP’s 2023 spending
- FACT CHECK: Vietnam envoy’s visit to Sara Duterte not related to OVP budget cuts
- FACT CHECK: Sri Lanka envoy visit to OVP not linked to 2025 budget hearing
- FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte not threatened with arrest during OVP budget hearing
- FACT CHECK: Confidential and intel fund line item didn’t exist in OVP’s 2022 budget
- FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte quote card on OVP’s P125-M confidential funds is fake
– Barbra Althea Gavilan/Rappler.com
Barbra Althea Gavilan is a Rappler intern. She is a fourth year Journalism student at the University of Santo Tomas.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.