📷Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte
Davao City spent P530 million on confidential funds in 2023, surpassing the combined confidential expenses of the seven wealthiest cities in the country, the Commission of Audit (COA) said.
Based on the Davao City government’s financial statements submitted to COA, Davao City, under Mayor Sebastian Duterte, spent P70 million, or 15.22% higher than 2022’s P460 million.
Since 2016, when Rodrigo Duterte became president, Davao City’s confidential spending has steadily increased, rising from P144 million in 2016 to P293 million in 2017, P420 million in 2018, and P460 million annually from 2019 to 2022, before reaching P530 million in 2023.
For context, the combined confidential spending of the seven wealthiest cities in the Philippines in 2023 totaled P529.5 million.
Quezon City led with P100 million, followed by Makati at P240 million, and Manila at P120 million. Notably, Pasig and Taguig reported zero confidential expenses. Parañaque spent P49.5 million, and Mandaue allocated P20 million.
Mandaue, Davao City, and Cebu City were the cities outside Metro Manila that had secured a position within the top ten.
“The COA, together with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense (DND) and the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) signed the Joint Circular on Guidelines on the Entitlement, Release, Use, Reporting and Audit of the Confidential and/or Intelligence Fund on January 8, 2015,” stated in a COA press statement published on Jan. 9, 2015.
“COA, DBM, DILG, DND and GCG worked together to formulate the guidelines in order to provide a more accountable and transparent use of Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF). The Joint Circular not only provides for strong internal controls in the release and utilization of the CIF but also stricter accounting and auditing rules to prevent mishandling or improper application of the CIF.” (TCSP)
