The Office of the Vice President (OVP) asserted on Wednesday that its confidential funds were "appropriately utilized," just days after the Commission on Audit (COA) issued its report on the office's spending.

However, the OVP did not clarify how the aforementioned private expenses were spent.

State auditors said in their report on July 3 that the office's confidential expenses under Vice President Sara Duterte increased to P125 million in 2022, up from zero clandestine expenses under former Vice President Leni Robredo.

The COA also stated in its report that the OVP's support and subsidy to local government units and non-governmental organizations decreased to P378.82 million in 2022 from P526.713 million in 2021.

On the other hand, the OVP stated that this was due to a decreased budget under the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

Also, the COA study noted OVP's failure to follow procurement laws.

According to the state auditors, the equipment purchased by the OVP cost a total of P668,197 and was obtained without following the procedures specified by the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The OVP "assured" the COA in its initial response to the report that the properties it obtained were "used prudently.