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The Audit Commission has previously clarified that an unamended document does not mean that the audited agency fully followed all the rules or that it spent money properly.
Claim: Vice President Sara Duterte has been impeached after the Commission on Audit (COA) issued an unredacted opinion to the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Rating: FALSE
Why we looked at these facts: A YouTube video uploaded on July 6 by the channel “PH News Update,” uses a thumbnail that clearly shows the text, “VP Sara has been released! The court has shown the receipt to OVP.”
(VP Sara has been removed! The court showed the receipts submitted to OVP.)
The video narration highlights the OVP’s fourth consecutive audit opinion from the unredacted COA, citing this as proof that Duterte has been cleared of wrongdoing.
As of writing, the video has garnered over 39,000 views and 3,100 likes.
Facts: The OVP did to receive its fourth consecutive unmodified inspection opinion from the COA for calendar year 2025. However, the video misrepresents the meaning of the opinion.
Comments that have not been changed it signifies that the agency’s financial statements were fairly presented, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting system.
It is an opinion on financial reporting – not a finding that public funds were spent legitimately or that officials have been cleared of wrongdoing.
The COA also noted that the agency’s level of compliance with the law and whether it used the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its operations is considered by compliance and performance audits, which the audit agency conducts in addition to financial audits.
State auditors have previously issued multiple rejection notices involving OVP’s use of cryptocurrencies.
In April 2026, COA he confirmed the disallowance of P73 million in confidential expenses in December 2022, citing insufficient documentation to justify the expenditure.
Days later, it also detained Duterte and three other officials responsible for the issuance of P375 million in cryptocurrencies for 2023 after finding support records are also insufficient. These rejection notices are not overridden by OVP’s unmodified audit opinion.
Prosecution case: The video was uploaded in the middle of The case to remove Duterte which was officially opened in the Senate on July 6. OVP’s secret funds are among the issues under review.
The denial approved by the COA is part of Article I of the impeachment complaint against the Vice President. No decision is expected to be made soon, as the opening week of the case testified election of the presiding officer, to set a Rate 16 votes for Duterte’s sentencing, and to hear the opening statements of the defense and the prosecution. (LIVE UPDATES: The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte)
Duterte in short it appeared in the Senate, but he did not attend the trial properly and was represented before the impeachment court by his legal team. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com
Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies from the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship for 2024.
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