By Hannah Torregoza
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte failed to submit official receipts or sales invoices for the purchase of physical goods—including tables, chairs, desktop computers, and printers—using confidential funds.
This was revealed by Xylene Mae del Campo, a witness from the Commission on Audit–Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA‑ICFAO), when Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero inquired about the agency’s procedure for requiring receipts.
During the resumption of the impeachment trial on Wednesday, August 12, Escudero asked the House prosecution witness whether invoices or receipts were required under Joint Circular No. 2015‑01 as proof of purchases of food, medicine, and other supplies.
Del Campo, who issued Notices of Disallowance against the OVP after it spent P125 million in confidential funds in just 11 days from Dec. 20 to Dec. 31, 2022—including holidays—confirmed that receipts are mandatory.
She explained that commercial establishments selling basic office supplies or goods are not considered confidential, and proper invoices are strictly required to prove actual purchases.
“When we buy supplies for food, medicine…it’s standard procedure that receipts are issued by the establishment,” Del Campo told the Court.
“Yes, receipts are needed so we can ascertain that the funds were indeed used for the purchases of supplies, food, and medicines.”
She added that the same auditing standards apply to all government agencies.
Despite this, the OVP, through Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, told the COA in a March 13, 2024 letter that it was “unnecessary to request invoices or official receipts as evidence of payments due to the confidential nature of surveillance and monitoring activities.”
Del Campo countered: “However, all of these pertain to purchases. For us, it is more sufficient if you are able to show the sales invoice and official receipts. Receipts are needed so we can prove that they really used the funds to buy tables and chairs.”
According to Del Campo, items the OVP claimed to have acquired using confidential funds included P34.9 million for “various goods” as reward payments, P24.9 million for “medicines” also as reward payments, P11.8 million for “purchased supplies,” P3 million for desktop computers and printers, P500,000 for tables and chairs, and P10 million for van rentals and trucking services.
