The Supreme Court of the Philippines has directed the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and two other national agencies to provide comments on a lawsuit challenging the transfer of PHP125 million in confidential intelligence funds in 2022.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Supreme Court requires Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, Lucas Bersamin of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), and Secretary Amenah Pangandaman of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to respond to the petition within 10 days. The suit, filed by former Commission on Elections Chair Christian Monsod and lawyer Ibarra Gutierrez III, who is also a spokesperson for former Vice President Leni Robredo, alleges that the DBM’s decision to release PHP125 million to the OVP constituted a “usurpation” of Congress’s legislative powers. Additionally, a separate lawsuit filed last month questions two executive orders from the previous administration regarding confidential funds.