MANILA, Philippines — A high-ranking official from the House of Representatives announced on Monday that the gathering of evidence regarding the ongoing investigation into the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) is now “essentially complete.” The statement suggests that legislative committees are nearing the conclusion of their inquiries into the utilization of confidential funds and other administrative expenditures under Vice President Sara Duterte’s leadership.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has been scrutinizing several hundred million pesos in confidential and intelligence funds. According to the House official, recent testimonies from resource persons, combined with documented audit reports from the Commission on Audit (COA), have provided a “clear and comprehensive picture” of how the funds were managed.
“The puzzle pieces are coming together,” the official stated during a press briefing. “We have reached a point where the documentary evidence and the testimonies we’ve gathered are sufficient to form the basis of our committee report. We have been meticulous in ensuring that every finding is backed by official records.”
The investigation has centered on the speed at which confidential funds were disbursed and the liquidation processes followed by the OVP and DepEd during the Vice President’s tenure as Education Secretary. While the Vice President has previously dismissed the probe as “politically motivated” and has opted not to attend several hearings, the committee maintains that the inquiry is a necessary exercise of congressional oversight to ensure transparency in the use of public money.
With the evidence-gathering phase winding down, the committee is expected to begin drafting its final recommendations. These could include proposed legislative reforms to the country’s auditing rules for confidential funds or, potentially, the referral of findings to the Office of the Ombudsman for further legal evaluation.
The House leadership indicated that the final report will be presented to the plenary for approval before the next congressional break, signaling a significant turning point in one of the most high-profile legislative probes of 2026.