OVP to appeal P73-M disallowance of confidential expenses

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is set to file an appeal on the Notice of Disallowance issued by the Commission on Audit (COA) ordering the return of P73.287 million out of the P125 million it spent as confidential expenses in 2022.

- ELIZABETH MARCELO

In an interview With Radyo Singko 92.3 News FM yesterday, OVP spokesperson Michael Poa said the notice is not yet considered final, thus making it premature to discuss the findings of the audit body.

"We are now preparing to appeal our so-called disallowance It only shows that the OVP is really cooperating with the ongoing audit. To be honest, it's a bit irregular that we are talking about a COA finding, which is not yet considered final," Poa said.

It was only on Tuesday that the media first learned of the COA's issuance of the notice of disallowance on the P73.287 million in confidential expenses incurred by the OVP in just 11 days or from Dec. 21 to 31, 2022.

The issuance of the notice was revealed by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro during the hearing of the OVP's proposed P2.037billion budget for 2025 at the House of Representatives appropriations committee.