Most OVP confidential fund recipients lack vital records, court hears

MANILA — More than two-thirds of individuals who received confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) could not be verified through Philippine vital records, according to testimony presented to an impeachment court on Monday. Marizza Grande, Assistant National Statistician at the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), reported that of 1,992 listed payees, 1,287 individuals had no record of birth, marriage, or death in the PSA database. The finding raised questions about the documentation and accountability of the fund distribution, which became a focal point in ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. Grande's testimony suggested significant gaps in the verification of beneficiaries for the OVP's confidential expenditures, a category of government spending traditionally accorded discretionary authority. The inability to cross-reference the majority of payees with vital records signals potential transparency concerns regarding how the funds were allocated and to whom payments were made. The discrepancy is expected to feature prominently in further legislative and judicial inquiries into the OVP's financial management and the use of confidential appropriations.