Vice President Sara Duterte 鈥擣ile photo
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Education (DepEd), now under Secretary Juan Edgardo 鈥淪onny鈥� Angara, on Wednesday, clarified that the report of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the agency was still subject to compliance and efforts are underway to do so at the soonest possible time.
Dexter Galban, the DepEd assistant secretary for operations, noted that the consolidated annual audit report (CAAR) that was provided to them by state auditors was still 鈥渙pen.鈥�
READ: COA to DepEd: Return聽P12.3-B misused budget
This means DepEd is still required to submit a 鈥渕anagement response鈥� through an accomplished Agency Action Plan and Status of Implementation (AAPSI) on the issues raised by the COA, Galban explained in a statement to reporters.
State auditors have called out DepEd on several deficiencies in its expenditures for 2023, the last full year it was under Vice President Sara Duterte.
They flagged P12.3 billion worth of disallowances and suspensions from its 2023 budget of P710.6 billion.
Of this amount, the COA issued notices of suspension of P10.1 billion; notices of disallowance of P2.2 billion; and notices of charges of P7.38 million due to DepEd鈥檚 鈥渘oncompliance with existing laws and regulations.鈥�
Action plan
鈥淒epEd is conducting a series of consultations and coordination with its regional offices and respective audit teams to finalize the AAPSI,鈥� Galban said.
The AAPSI, after the consolidation of 鈥渁ll action plans,鈥� will be submitted to the COA on or before the end of October this year, he added.
Of the 26 SDOs identified in the audit report, Galban said 16 have already been 鈥渄eemed closed and resolved, bringing to 208 the total number of SDOs whose SBFPs were 鈥渄eemed successfully implemented by the COA.鈥�
鈥淭he remaining 10 SDOs are expected to provide us with a full report within the week [and are] expected to be closed and resolved as well,鈥� he said.
Diversionary tactic
The Vice President, who resigned as DepEd head in July, has yet to make a statement responding to the COA鈥檚 findings, but she is facing mounting pressure from lawmakers from the House of Representatives, who demanded that she address the damning COA findings instead of 鈥渄iverting attention with baseless accusations鈥� about the lower chamber鈥檚 partisanship.
In a joint statement, House Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol Rep. Jil Bongalon, as well as House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre, said the COA report presented 鈥渃lear evidence鈥� that Duterte had underperformed in her two years as education secretary.
鈥淭he COA report paints an alarming picture of DepEd鈥檚 failures under Vice President Duterte鈥檚 leadership. Completing only 192 out of 6,379 target classrooms is not just a minor oversight鈥攊t鈥檚 a gross neglect of duty,鈥� Bongalon said.
Both also slammed Duterte鈥檚 insinuations of a 鈥淢akabayan-Marcos-Romualdez鈥� plot to assassinate her character, referring to the opposition bloc in the lower chamber as well as President Marcos Jr. and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Answer COA findings
The Makabayan bloc in the House on Wednesday likewise called on Duterte to stop resorting to squid tactics and just publicly answer the issues raised by the COA regarding DepEd鈥檚 2023 budget and disclose how she used the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) when she attends next week鈥檚 budget hearing at the chamber.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel denounced Duterte鈥檚 attempt to deflect public attention from her alleged misuse of her confidential funds by making up a supposed alliance between the Makabayan bloc, Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Marcos.
鈥淚t is imperative to set the record straight: no such alliance exists,鈥� they stressed, pointing out that 鈥渞ather than resorting to these squid tactics, Vice President Duterte should directly and truthfully respond to the questions to be raised during the interpellations on her office鈥檚 next budget briefing scheduled for Sept. 10.鈥�
Impeachable offense
The hearing for the OVP鈥檚 proposed P2.037-billion budget for 2025 was deferred after Duterte refused to answer questions about her office鈥檚 use of public money, including confidential funds, in previous years.
鈥淰ice President Duterte鈥檚 refusal to answer legitimate questions regarding her budget spending demonstrates a disregard for the principles of transparency, accountability, and the constitutional duties she swore to uphold,鈥� they said, reminding her that the misuse of public funds was an impeachable offense.
The issues raised by the COA might also be raised during the Senate plenary deliberations of the (OVP鈥檚) budget, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
鈥淲hen the plenary budget debates come, and former DepEd Secretary Sara still hasn鈥檛 followed the order of the (COA), of course, (the possibility) for that to be asked is wide open. I or any of my colleagues might ask about it,鈥� she said at a press briefing.
鈥淓very agency goes through such process鈥攁nswering questions or obeying the order of the COA鈥攁s a measure to see if the budget they were asking for the following year is justified,鈥� Hontiveros added. 鈥攚ith a report from Tina G. Santos