6 others skip House hearing; spokesman parts ways with VP Sara
The chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte flew to the United States while six other OVP officials were a no-show despite being called to testify before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability yesterday.
The House panel is investigating the alleged mishandling of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education during Duterte’s term as DepEd chief.
Committee chairman Manila Rep. Joel Chua said said Duterte’s chief of staff, Usec. Zuleika Lopez, departed for the United States Monday night on a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles, California.
The Bureau of Immigration, however, said it was yet to receive the House committee’s request to include the seven OVP officials in its lookout bulletin.
Aside from Lopez, the six other OVP officials who were absent were Assistant Chief of Staff and Bids and Awards Committee Chair Lemuel Ortonio, Administrative and Financial Services Director Rosalynne Sanchez, Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey, former DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Charry Fajarda and former DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda.
OVP spokesperson Michael Poa attended the hearing, but surprised lawmakers with his disclosure that he is no longer affiliated with the office.
“My consultancy contract was already pre-terminated,” Poa told the panel.
In his earlier testimony, Poa confirmed that Duterte and then-DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Charry Fajarda held sole authority over DepEd’s confidential fund, and that he “occassionally” received envelopes with cash from Duterte.
On Tuesday, DepEd chief accountant Rhunna Catalan became the fourth Education official to confirm the monthly cash allowance.
She said she received envelopes containing P25,000 for a period of nine months during Duterte’s stint at DepEd.
Catalan also admitted being “requested” by Sunshine Fajarda to sign the liquidation vouchers for the P112.5 million in CIFs, which were withdrawn as cash advances by Fajarda’s husband, Edward.
The funds in question were withdrawn through three separate checks, each valued at P37.5 million, issued to then-SDO Fajarda. The cash advances were made in the first three quarters of 2023 when Duterte was leading the DepEd, Catalan said.
The Fajarda couple transferred to the OVP after Duterte’s resignation from the Education department in July.
Of the P612.5 million under investigation by the House committee, P500 million went to the OVP 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.
In his interpellation, committee vice chair Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante asked whether Catalan was requested or pressured to sign the liquidation reports.
“I was requested, Sir, in a nice way,” Catalan said.
Abante, however, pointed out the potential influence behind the repeated release of cash allowance to Catalan.
“Those nine envelopes you received are a form of pressure on your part or from the same person that asked you to sign. Am I right?” he said, to which Catalan replied: “Maybe, Your Honor.”
Sunshine Fajarda was also named in the previous testimony by former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil Mercado, who disclosed that she received regular cash payments allegedly intended to influence her as the agency’s procurement unit head.
During the September 25 hearing, Mercado testified she received envelopes containing P50,000 each month from February to September 2023, totaling P450,000, allegedly delivered by Sunshine Fajarda on behalf of the Vice President.
On October 17, former DepEd Bids and Awards Committee chair Resty Osias disclosed that he, too, received envelopes containing between P12,000 and P15,000 each.
Meanwhile, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luisto said the House committee may have found a prima facie case of malversation against Duterte over an unaccounted P10.4 million in confidential funds spent when she was still Education secretary.
Luistro said DepEd was able to liquidate only P4.2 million out of the P15.5 million allocated to the agency.
“It is the humble submission of this representation that there is a prima facie case of malversation and, in addition, an apparent case of breach of public trust. For us to be able to know whether there is malversation, four elements must be present,” she said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “VP Sara’s top aide flies to US, risks contempt from House lawmakers along with 6 others.”
