Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a special audit on P51 billion in funds released to the first district of Davao through Rep. Paolo Duterte during the last three years of the Duterte administration.
Trillanes, who described the huge fund allocation as “scandalous,” said the funds were released to Rep. Duterte’s office during the term of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Where’s the money? We haven’t heard where it was spent, or any projects,” he said.
Duterte, Davao City’s erstwhile vice mayor before being voted into Congress, had yet to comment at press time.
House appropriations committee chairman and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co earlier divulged that the younger Duterte was granted P51 billion in unprogrammed funds.
“That is so much, that P51 billion,” he said, hinting at the supposed special treatment Rep. Duterte got during his father’s administration.
Co said that based on the reports he received, the first district of Davao City got P13 billion in 2020, P35 billion in 2021, and another P13 billion during the final year of the Duterte administration.
Co said the average allocation per district in the House of Representatives ranged from P500 million to P1 billion.
“If that reaches P3 to 4 billion, you can already be considered a sacred cow,” he said.
“The comments back then was: who can question the holy land of Davao?” Co added.
Trillanes also urged the House of Representatives and the Senate to investigate Rep. Duterte’s alleged drug links.
On several occasions, Trillanes accused the younger Duterte of being a coddler of big-time drug syndicates in the country.
