FACT CHECK: COA didn’t ‘clear’ VP Sara of fund misuse; impeachment case not junked

Claim: The Commission on Audit (COA) has cleared Vice President Sara Duterte of alleged misuse of funds related to her office and urged the House of Representatives to dismiss the impeachment complaints against her. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The post bearing the claim has already received 3,800 reactions, 1,100 comments, and 411 shares as of writing. It was posted on March 31, days after the House justice committee compelled Gloria Camora, State Auditor V from COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, to attend the House impeachment proceedings. 

The panel also requested documents related to the confidential expenses of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023. 

The text on the photo says, “Winasak ang Kamara! Impeachment dismissed na! VP Sara cleared na! COA [i]sinapubliko na [ang] mga resibo sa OVP!”

(The House has been destroyed! Impeachment dismissed! VP Sara has been cleared! COA has made the OVP receipts public!)

The post also links to an article stating that COA’s issuance of an “unmodified opinion” for Duterte’s office means no irregularities were found.

Most of the comments believed the claim. One commenter wrote, “Ano pa ang issue ng mga detractors ni VP Sara [ngayon] malinaw na clear na siya sa COA?”

(What else do VP Sara’s detractors have to say now that COA has already cleared her?) 

The facts: COA has not cleared Duterte of the alleged misuse of her offices’ funds, and the impeachment case against her at the House of Representatives has not been dismissed. 

In a subpoena publicized to the media on Tuesday, April 7, the House justice panel required Camora and Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Mendoza to attend the April 14 House hearing and to present pertinent documents related to the charges against the Vice President. (LIST: Subpoenas issued by House panel in VP Sara impeachment hearing)

The House subpoena covered documents such as the OVP’s submissions related to its liquidation of confidential funds, documentary evidence of payments signed by supposed payees such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” and documents on Duterte’s tax compliance and reported income. 

Budget controversy: The misuse of confidential funds was among the issues raised in the impeachment complaints against Duterte. She is accused of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds within her first 18 months in office — P500 million for the OVP and P112.5 million for the DepEd. 

Fabrication of submissions to COA was also flagged, including the use of alleged fabricated names such as Mary Grace Piattos. Duterte refused to provide explanations for the suspicious identities, saying that she cannot discuss intelligence operations. 

While COA did give the OVP an “unmodified opinion” for 2023, it does not mean that an agency has been cleared of irregularities. COA clarified in 2022 that an unmodified opinion is issued when the financial statements are “prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.” 

The commission also added that an audit opinion does not provide any conclusions on the agency’s overall level of compliance. COA has, in fact, flagged issues in the OVP’s spending. 

Impeachment: Duterte is facing a renewed impeachment drive against her, after the Supreme Court barred impeachment proceedings against her in 2025.

New complaints were filed in February 2026, with two out of four complaints declared sufficient in form and substance. The House justice committee began hearings on Duterte’s case on March 25.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar false claims about Duterte’s COA audits: 

• FACT CHECK: ‘Highest COA rating’ claim for OVP under Sara Duterte is misleading 
• FACT CHECK: Post falsely claims COA opinion ‘clears’ OVP of irregularities 
• FACT CHECK: Contrary to claims, COA has flagged deficiencies in OVP’s 2023 spending 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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