FACT CHECK: OVP did not get a ‘perfect score’ for budget use from DBM

Claim: The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is the only government agency that achieved a “perfect score” for budget utilization, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: Ex-broadcaster Jay Sonza made the claim in a July 3 Facebook post, which has garnered 417 shares and 77 comments. The number of reactions on the post are hidden.

It uses a graphic with a photo of former DBM chief Amenah Pangandaman, with text overlaid on it that says: “Office of the Vice President ang kaisa-isang ahensya ng gobyerno na nagtalaga ng perfect score sa paggamit ng kanilang pondo.”

(The Office of the Vice President is the only government agency that achieved a perfect score in the utilization of its funds.)

Sonza’s caption declared this score as proof of the OVP’s good fiscal management. He added: “Nakaigit na sab ang mga congressman nga gusto og impeachment batok kang VP Inday Sara.”

(The congressmen who want an impeachment trial against VP Inday Sara are now in a panic.)

The facts: According to the DBM’s 2024 Agency Performance Review, which assesses agencies’ financial and physical performance against their targets, the OVP got a score of 4.50 out of 5.00, with a rating of Very Satisfactory.

“Procurement issues and project implementation during the planning stage affected the obligation performance while late submission/receipt of billing resulted in lower disbursement rates,” the DBM wrote.

Fourteen agencies out of 304 were able to achieve a perfect score that year. The Department of Education, which Duterte led until July 2024, got an average score of 4.38 with a rating of Very Satisfactory.

The 2025 report has not yet been released on the DBM’s website as of writing. 

Disinformation related to impeachment efforts vs Duterte: Several false claims began circulating in the lead-up to Duterte’s impeachment trial that began on July 6 — many in relation to the alleged misuse of her offices’ confidential funds.

The confidential funds in question are one of main subjects of the Vice President’s impeachment trial. They are cited in Article I of the four articles of impeachment that the House of Representatives brought against her, which they claim establish culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

Rappler has repeatedly debunked claims in relation to these funds in the past, especially those attempting to discredit impeachment efforts by falsely stating that no anomalies have been flagged in these transactions: 

• FACT CHECK: COA didn’t ‘clear’ VP Sara of fund misuse; impeachment case not junked
• FACT CHECK: ‘Highest COA rating’ claim for OVP under Sara Duterte is misleading  
• FACT CHECK: Post falsely claims COA opinion ‘clears’ OVP of irregularities
• FACT CHECK: COA flagged issues in OVP programs, spending

– Shay Du/Rappler.com

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