Sara dared: Stop using OVP staff as ‘bulletproof vests’

MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the House of Representatives’ “Young Guns” criticized Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday for what they described as a blatant attempt to dodge accountability by using her staff as a “buffer” to deflect scrutiny over her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.

“The Vice President must stop hiding behind her staff. They are not her bulletproof vests. Only she holds the answers to how these funds were spent and it’s time for her to face Congress and take responsibility,” said House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union’s 1st District.

For his part, House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun of Zambales’ 1st district accused Duterte of “throwing her staff under the bus” to protect herself from the mounting backlash.

“Her staff are not scapegoats for her to sacrifice whenever things get tough. If she truly believes in accountability, she must stop passing the burden to others and come clean to the Filipino people,” Khonghun said.

The two lawmakers criticized Duterte for sending career officials to answer questions from members of the House Blue Ribbon committee as they claim these officials lack direct involvement in the management of the funds in question.

“Let’s make it clear. It is not the VP’s staff who are making the decision. She is the one accountable. Her continuous refusal to face the investigation of the committee to evade answering the questions and sending other people clearly showed her lack of leadership,” Khonghun stressed.

The House Blue Ribbon committee is investigating the alleged misuse of P500 million in confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million by the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte’s leadership.

The House committee on good government and public accountability has so far conducted six public hearings on the issue.

Duterte attended only the first hearing, when she refused to take an oath, delivered a prepared statement criticizing the investigation and left without answering questions from lawmakers.

Key OVP officials close to Duterte – assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio, special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and husband-and-wife Edward and Sunshine Charry Fajarda – have repeatedly ignored summonses, leading to contempt citations and arrest orders.

The investigation took a dramatic turn when OVP undersecretary and chief of staff Zuleika Lopez appeared at the sixth hearing under subpoena.

Her evasive responses led to her being cited for contempt and detained by the House for “undue interference in the proceedings.”