MANILA (UPDATE) — Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday said her office and the Department of Education would no longer pursue their combined request for P650-million confidential funds for next year.

Duterte said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was withdrawing its P500-million confidential fund request "because this issue is divisive."

"And as the Vice President, I swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong," Duterte said in a statement.

The OVP's budget sponsor, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sonny Angara, made the same announcement during a budget deliberation earlier in the day. The proposed P1.874-billion budget of the OVP for 2024 was then "deemed submitted" to the Senate plenary.

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Later in the day, Duterte said the DepEd, which she heads, "will no longer pursue" its request for P150 million in confidential funds.

"We humbly request that the funds be realigned to the national learning recovery program because we do expect good scores for the 2022 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results coming out this December," she said in a statement read by Sen. Pia Cayetano during DepEd's budget deliberation.

The House of Representatives earlier stripped the OVP and DepEd of their confidential fund requests, along with other civilian agencies, and realigned them to security offices.

REACTIONS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III commended the Vice President "for now categorically stating to this house that it is not a deferral to our wisdom; she does not want it (confidential fund) anymore."

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said Duterte's statement should not let her off the hook with regard to the OVP's use of confidential funds in 2022 amounting to P125 million.

"Hindi pa din maayos na sinasagot ng OVP kung paano at saan ginamit ang iligal na P125 milyong confidential funds nito noong 2022. Hindi mabubura ng very belated at pilit na statement ng OVP ang mga tanong ng mamamayan," said Castro, one of the vocal critics of Duterte.

Duterte earlier said said the OVP’s confidential fund supports its programs, which include tree planting, free bus rides, and livelihood and calamity assistance programs.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa appealed to DepEd to not let its guard down on preventing students from joining the communist movement despite having no confidential funds.

“Having without confidential funds, sana siguruhin natin na wala nang mga bata na ma-recruit ng CPP-NPA doon sa kabundukan at makipaglaban sa ating gobyerno at mamatay,” said Dela Rosa.

• 'Ang kumokontra sa confidential funds ay kontra sa kapayapaan': VP Duterte justifies necessity of confidential funds
• VP Duterte originally sought P250M confidential funds in 2022

Education Undersecretary Michael Poa who serves as Duterte's spokesperson, reiterated the stand of the Vice President.

“Nakikita natin na talagang may tendency na magkawatak-watak o magiging divisive ang issue na ito. Dahil dito, naniniwala ang ating Bise Presidente na sya ay nanumpa na panatilihing mapayapa at matatag ang bansang Pilipinas. Kaya hindi na niya ipu-pursue ang proposal for confidential funds,” Poa said in a quick interview with reporters.

—With reports from RG Cruz, Johnson Manabat, and Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

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