VP mum on request for lookout bulletin

DOJ also silent on House panel request

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President has been mum on the possibility that seven of its officials might be prevented from leaving the country due to their refusal to attend a House of Representatives inquiry on the alleged misuse of OVP funds under Vice President Sara Duterte.

Requests from reporters for a statement remained unheeded as of yesterday afternoon, although OVP media relations officer John Carlo Cahinhinan said the requests had already been relayed to Duterte.

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, who chairs the House committee on good government and public accountability, told journalists over the weekend that the panel had requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) covering seven officials of the OVP.

An ILBO instructs immigration officers to alert authorities should the subject attempt to leave the country.

Those sought by the House committee to be covered by the ILBO are OVP chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, assistant chief of staff and bids and awards committee chairman Lemuel Ortonio, administrative and financial services director Rosalynne Sanchez, special disbursing officers Gina Acosta and Edward Fajarda, chief accountant Julieta Villadelrey and former Department of Education (DepEd) assistant secretary Sunshine Charry Fajarda.

Chua said his committee received information indicating that the seven OVP officials may be preparing to leave the country amid the ongoing hearing on the alleged misuse of the OVP’s confidential funds in 2022 and 2023.

Since the probe began, none of the seven OVP officials have attended the hearings despite the invitations, as well as the subpoenas earlier issued by Chua’s committee.

Among the issues being investigated by the House panel is the OVP’s P125 million in confidential expenses in 2022, which the Commission on Audit (COA) has said was spent from Dec. 21 to 31 that year, or in just 11 days, averaging over P11 million per day.

Of the P125 million in confidential fund expenses of the OVP, 60 percent, or P73.287 million, was earlier disallowed by the COA through a Notice of Disallowance (ND).

In its ND, the COA specifically identified Duterte, along with Acosta and Villadelrey, as “accountable officials,” for the return of the disallowed amount.

COA assistant commissioner Alexander Juliano earlier explained to lawmakers that an ND is usually issued if state auditors found the expenditure or fund disbursement to be “either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant or unconscionable.”

OVP spokesman Michael Poa, however, earlier maintained that the ND is not yet final and that the OVP is set to file an appeal.

‘Politically best’

It would be politically best for Duterte to fully explain the hundreds of millions of pesos she spent in just a few days, if only to arrest the continuing decline in her trust and popularity ratings, according to a lawmaker.

“When a public official faces controversies that go unexplained, people find it hard to trust them. If these issues aren’t addressed, it could seriously damage her credibility over the long term,” Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun observed.

“Vice President Duterte’s dropping trust ratings signal a critical problem in the way people see her,” Khonghun warned, noting the anomalous disbursements in the OVP and the DepEd portfolio, which she led until July 19 this year.

Recent data from the OCTA Research survey reflected a six-point decline in Duterte’s trust rating, now at 59 percent, and an eight-point drop in her performance rating, which fell to 52 percent from a previous high of 87 percent last year.

Khonghun highlighted that issues requiring immediate explanation include an alleged P15 million in confidential funds purportedly allocated for a youth leadership summit, funds which the military later denied having received, as well as a P16-million expense for renting 34 safehouses in late 2022.

“If these controversies aren’t clarified, how can she expect people’s trust in the future? Trust is earned through transparency and accountability – qualities that should be part of every public servant,” he said.

His colleague in the House’s “Young Guns” clique, La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V, could not agree more, noting that Duterte’s steep drop in ratings highlights how public trust can erode when accountability is ignored.

“From a high of 87 percent in March 2023 to 59 percent today, that’s a big drop,” Ortega pointed out.

“People want leaders they can trust. To keep the public’s confidence, leaders need to be open and transparent,” he added.

Ortega also stressed that ignoring these controversies could undermine Duterte’s credibility if she intends to stay in public service.

“Silence is not an option, especially when the public is watching closely,” Ortega said.

“A true leader does not hide behind controversy. She should show the public that she has nothing to hide and is willing to address these issues openly,” he added.

As far as Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe are concerned, the dwindling figures in Duterte’s ratings are “expected.”

“It is expected because these are taxpayers’ money that the VP disbursed so easily, and which until now remains unexplained,” Gonzales said, noting that surveys are an expression of the Filipino’s continuing distrust in the VP’s alleged lack of transparency and accountability.

Dalipe echoed Gonzales’ sentiments, highlighting the impact of Duterte’s controversies on her ability to lead.

“It’s hard to keep the people’s trust if many questions still remain unanswered. Her role as a top leader in the government requires accountability. If she cannot explain disbursements, it is only but natural for the people to lose trust,” Dalipe said.

CIF Ban

Meanwhile, Chua is filing a bill that would ban the release of intelligence and confidential funds (ICFs) to government agencies whose functions do not involve intelligence gatherings.

In an interview, Chua said the measure would prevent “misuse of public funds” that allegedly transpired in the OVP and the DepEd during Duterte’s leadership.

Chua is on the verge of finishing his panel’s investigation on the alleged misuse of CIFs in the OVP and the DepEd.

“Based on our investigation, we have seen the loopholes as to why those (government) agencies with nothing to do with intelligence gatherings are being given confidential funds. Our number one and primary purpose in this investigation is in aid of legislation,” he said.

The lawmaker also cited the seeming laxity of the COA in monitoring the release of CIFs to all government agencies.

“We have seen that there is laxity in the monitoring, so we need to be stricter, especially on government agencies that have nothing to do with intelligence gathering,” Chua said.

“In the case of reporting mechanism, it is very lacking. What was happening is that it is like ministerial, although the COA admitted it,” he added. — Delon Porcalla, Jose Rodel Clapano