The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability is looking at a total of P612.5 million in potential misuse of confidential funds managed by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the panel expressed frustration over what he described as “improper” and “unexplained” expenditures across two years, questioning whether the funds were responsibly used for their intended purposes.
“Ganun na lamang ang pagkadismaya marahil ng karamihan sa mga natutuklasan natin dito sa (The disappointment is likely for many with what we’re uncovering in) the House Blue Ribbon Committee,” Chua said in his opening remarks.
“We saw here how the [OVP] and the [DepEd] used and spent the confidential funds granted to them in the years 2022 and 2023.”
Duterte served as DepEd Secretary from July 2022 until her resignation in July 2024.
Chua noted that the total amount under scrutiny is P612.5 million. He stressed the need for clear answers regarding the confidential funds allocations and expenditures in both agencies.
“Perhaps, it can be said that the use of the confidential funds of these agencies is improper,” he pointed out. “To give us more clarity, this question should be answered: what happened to the people’s money?”
Chua noted that only a few officials came forward to testify, while the key figures directly responsible for confidential funds disbursements have yet to appear before the committee.
“Only two people can answer this: first, the Head of Agency, which in the case of both the OVP and the DepEd, is the Vice-President, and second, the Special Disbursement Officer (SDO) Ms. Gina F. Acosta for OVP and Mr. Edward D. Fajarda for DepEd. But none of them are showing up,” he said.
Chua further revealed that Fajarda, previously an SDO at DepEd, had since transferred to the OVP. His absence, along with that of Vice President Duterte, left many questions unanswered.
Of the P612.5 million under investigation, P500 million pertains to the OVP’s confidential funds
allocations, while P112.5 million went to DepEd.
The OVP received P625 million in confidential funds for late 2022 and all of 2023, with COA reviewing P500 million and noting significant irregularities.
In December 2022 alone, the OVP spent P125 million in just 11 days—from December 21 to 31—averaging P11.364 million daily. COA disallowed P73.3 million, citing irregularities and ordered repayment from Duterte and two other OVP officials.
