MANILA, Philippines — After snubbing the past six hearings, four of the Office of the Vice President’s officials appeared on Monday, November 25, at the House probe into the agency’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Vice President Sara Duterte attended the hearing and took her oath, after having previously refused to do so during the first hearing on September 18.
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The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability previously cited these four officials in contempt twice, ordered their detention and warned them of criminal and administrative charges should they skip another hearing:
- Gina Acosta, OVP special disbursing officer
- Lemuel Ortonio, OVP assistant chief of staff and Bids and Awards Committee chair
- Sunshine Fajarda, former Department of Education (DepEd) assistant secretary
- Edward Fajarda, former DepEd special disbursing officer
They previously excused themselves, citing official travel to “various areas” for the OVP’s “thanksgiving anniversary.”
Why are they important resource persons?
During the sixth hearing on November 20, Landbank officials informed the committee that Acosta withdrew the OVP’s P500 million in confidential funds, while Edward withdrew DepEd’s P112.5 million.
Both withdrawals were made over the counter, and the funds were stored in duffel bags as part of their duties as special disbursing officers.
Lawmakers also argued it was impossible for Edward to deliver rewards for confidential information and payments for safehouse rentals to 26 locations nationwide in a single day — a reason cited in the certification submitted to the Commission on Audit.
Other OVP officials who have been present since November 11 barely had anything to disclose about the confidential funds, saying they have “no personal knowledge” of how it was spent.
Neither the OVP’s administrative and financial services director, chief administrative officer, chief accountant, or budget division officer provided concrete information on the P500 million confidential funds.
All they shared were the names of those they believed would likely have knowledge of the confidential expenses: Acosta and Duterte’s long-time aide and current Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez.
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Lopez, however, echoed a similar position, saying that the OVP operates with a “compartmentalized” structure. She explained that this structure means there is no single hierarchy, and even as chief of staff, not all information or documents pass through her.
Instead, Lopez pointed to Acosta and Ortonio because they were the ones who signed disbursement vouchers and checks for the release of confidential funds.
Meanwhile, Sunshine, Edward’s wife, was allegedly involved in handing out cash envelopes amounting to as much as P50,000 to DepEd officials in 2023, following Duterte’s orders.
Lopez’s contempt citation and detention
After deeming her responses evasive, the committee cited Lopez for contempt and detained her at the House of Representatives' detention facility for five days, starting November 20.
Lopez’s detention at the Batasang Pambansa Complex was cut short to about three days after she was hospitalized due to vomiting and a panic attack, following a transfer order to the Correctional Institute for Women, which has not yet been executed.
The good government panel issued the order on the night of November 22, citing Duterte’s unauthorized overstay at the House of Representatives as a “security risk” to both the vice president and the lower chamber.
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What lawmakers learned so far
Lawmakers uncovered inconsistencies in 158 acknowledgment receipts, amounting to P23.8 million, submitted by the OVP to justify its use of confidential funds. The irregularities included incorrect dates, identical handwriting, and questionable names such as “Mary Grace Piattos.”
The committee also found the rental and maintenance expenses of 34 safehouses excessive, noting that P16 million was spent for this in just 11 days in December 2022.
Meanwhile, DepEd’s use of P15.54 million in confidential funds for “youth leadership summits” was also disallowed or deemed irregular by state auditors. The Philippine Army, which was responsible for organizing these summits, previously said they were not funded by DepEd’s confidential funds.
Several House members have expressed that these findings point to potential graft and corruption, including betrayal of public trust, which could serve as grounds for Duterte’s impeachment.