House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair and Manila Rep. Joel Chua issued a final ultimatum Sunday to subpoenaed officials from the Office of the Vice President (OVP). They were required to attend the scheduled hearing this Monday, November 11, or face arrest.
The panel, also known as the House Blue Ribbon Committee, is investigating the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“The committee has summoned these officials multiple times, yet they continue to disregard our lawful requests to appear,” Chua said.
“These absences reflect a blatant disregard for the authority of Congress and are unacceptable. If they fail to appear again, we are prepared to issue orders for their arrest,” he added.
The congressional investigation took a contentious turn after it was revealed that OVP Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez left the country on Nov. 4, one day prior to her scheduled appearance before the panel.
Lopez, along with six other OVP officials, was subpoenaed to provide explanations regarding the handling of confidential and intelligence funds under Vice President Duterte’s watch.
The committee previously requested the Department of Justice to place Lopez and other OVP officials on an immigration lookout bulletin amid concerns they might evade the probe. While the bulletin does not prohibit departure, it heightened the committee’s concerns about their non-compliance.
Other OVP officials summoned by the panel include OVP Assistant Chief of Staff and Chair of the Bids and Awards Committee Lemuel Ortonio, Administrative and Financial Services Director Rosalynne Sanchez, Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta, Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey, as well as former DepEd executives Sunshine Charry Fajarda and Edward Fajarda, who reportedly transitioned to the OVP after Duterte’s resignation from the department.
Only Sanchez and Villadelrey have confirmed attendance at the Nov. 11 hearing, Chua said.
“The committee has been more than fair in giving these officials ample opportunities to cooperate,” Chua said in response to other officials, who have yet to respond to their invitation.
“If they fail to appear this time, they leave us no choice but to impose heavier penalties, including contempt and potential arrest and detention,” he maintained.
The committee is seeking the explanations of the seven OVP officers on the alleged misuse of P500 million in confidential funds and an additional P125-million from the DepEd resources when Duterte was education secretary.
The Commission on Audit flagged almost half of the total and disallowed P73 million of the P125 million spent by the OVP in just 11 days during the last quarter of 2022.
