OVP likely used 34 safe houses for 11 days worth P16M in 2022 – COA

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MANILA, Philippines — There is a high likelihood that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) used 34 safe houses worth P16 million for just 11 days in December 2022, the Commission on Audit (COA) told a House of Representatives panel.

During the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability on Thursday, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop asked COA representatives if the 34 acknowledgment receipts from the OVP for the use of safe houses in 2022 — coursed through confidential funds (CF) — corresponded to one safe house each.

COA audit team leader Gloria Camora initially said that she could not confirm this but eventually said that there is information indicating that each of the 34 acknowledgment receipts represents one safe house.

“You said earlier there was a rental of safe houses in the amount of P16 million, with 34 acknowledgment receipts. Is it logical for me to conclude that these are 34 safe houses?” Acop asked.

“Mr. Chair, it just means that 34 people were paid for rental supplies,” Camora replied.

“With the 34 acknowledgment receipts given by 34 persons, does that not indicate that these are 34 safe houses?” Acop asked again.

“Yes sir, there’s information that one receipt may pertain to one safe house,” Camora answered.

READ: OVP secret fund spending ‘a violation twice over’

Acop then questioned what kind of safe houses were used considering that one property was rented for P500,000 for just 11 days, which means around P45,000 was paid for each day the safe house was leased.

“So if I ask you, the receipt amounting to P500,000 for the payment of rental of safe house, would it be logical for me to conclude that this is for one safe house for 11 days?” Acop asked.  “For the 11 days, P500,000 for one safe house.  Now if I ask you, how much would that be per day, for one safe house?”

“Mr. Chair, it would amount to P45,000 something, P45,454.55 per day,” Camora noted.

“What kind of a safe house is that, with a rental fee that costs P45,000 per day when other posh areas are even cheaper than this P45,000?” Acop said.

Aside from the safe house that was rented for P500,000, committee chairperson and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua also showed acknowledgment receipts for safe house rentals where P1 million was paid by the OVP.

This led Chua to ask why these safe houses were so expensive — costlier even when compared to posh hotel rooms in the country.

“Didn’t you wonder why it was so expensive? One million pesos in just four days; what kind of safe house is that? Does it have a swimming pool and Wi-Fi? Is it in BGC? I can show you a resort in Boracay. The per night rate is P25,000 — this is a high-end luxury resort. It is just P25,000 per day as compared to P1 million here,” Chua said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“Ninety thousand pesos a day — as compared to the luxury resort with complete amenities? Much worse if the P1 million was spent in four days only […] P250,000 per day?  Didn’t you wonder why it is so expensive?” he added.

“We do not have information as to how big the buildings are,” Camora said in response.

The OVP and Vice President Sara Duterte were scrutinized after hearings at the House revealed several issues regarding budget utilization — from confidential funds in 2022 and 2023 to anomalies in the delivery of projects.

No less than House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said previously that Duterte could be held liable for graft if she could not explain how funds were spent, particularly regarding items with adverse findings from COA.

READ: Sara Duterte’s confidential fund spending raises new, more doubts

COA handed out a notice of disallowance against P73.2 million of the OVP’s P125 million confidential funds for 2022 — an item that several lawmakers said should not be available in the first place, as the original budget crafted during the time of former Vice President Leni Robredo did not have this item.

The observations have led the committee to check on the issues surrounding OVP’s budget utilization.