Vice President Sara Duterte has been accused of misusing confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she was still secretary of the latter body.
Sara Duterte is the vice president of President Bongbong Marcos. Dutete was appointed as Marcos' secretary for the Department of Education (DepEd), with Duterte serving from June 30, 2022 until her resignation on July 19, 2024 She also cited the government's "mishandling" of the national budget for DepEd as reasons for resignation. As vice president, Duterte also leads the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Confidential and intelligence funds are part of the national budget. Their use cannot be made public as it use to fund clandestine activities. Excessive allocations such funds is a risk for graft and corruption. Allocations to civilian agencies draw scrutinity.
As per Joint Circular No. 2015-01 the two funds involve:
For 2024, the Congress strips the DepEd and OVP of confidential funds.
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The allocation for the Office of the Vice President has received critical scrutiny since 2023 during the deliberations for the 2024 national budget. The Commission on Audit (COA) disclosed in 2023 that the confidential funds were spent in 11 days which raised suspicions from lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Duterte in 2025, was alleged to have misused worth of confidential funds; from the OVP and from DepEd.
Acknowledgement receipts (ARs) barring fictitious names such as "Mary Grace Piattos" in an apparent reference to the chips brand by Universal Robina, Piattos was used to support allegations of irregularities in the usage of the OVP's confidential funds. Piattos had the largest allocation of funds disbursed by the OVP in December 2022 as stated by Congressman Jay Khonghun in 2025. Duterte has refused to explain the background behind the names insisting it would compromise offices involved in intelligence operations. The names issue has also appeared in receipts involving transactions by DepEd during her tenure.
An impeachment complaint, the second out of eventually four complaints, was filed against Sara Duterte on December 19, 2024. The House of Representatives eventually impeached Sara Duterte on February 5, 2026 transmitting the fourth impeachment complaint to the Senate. The second articles of impeachment cites her alleged misuse of OVP and DepEd confidential funds citing of "ghost expenses". Duterte was not removed as vice president as the trial was shortly aborted after the Senate convened as a trial court in June 2025 and remand the articles of impeachment back to the lower house. The Supreme Court ruled in July 2025 that the impeachment complaint as unconstitutional for violating the "one year-bar rule" which was triggerred by the first three impeachment cases.
The renewed efforts to impeach Sara Duterte again for the second time in 2026 after the lapse of the one year-bar provision. The complaints also included the confidential funds issue as basis to remove her from office.
Apart from the impeachment complaints, Duterte is also facing a criminal lawsuit over her confidential funds issue. In December 2025, plunder and graft charges were filed against Duterte and 15 others before the Ombudsman. This also covers her alleged misuse of confidential funds. The complainants were accompanied by former finance secretary Cielo Magno, as well as Catholic priests Flavie Villanueva and Robert Reyes. In January 2026, former senator Sonny Trillanes and the group The Silent Majority (TSM) filed another complaint against Duterte.