VICE President Sara Duterte allocated the P612.5 million in confidential funds even to non-existent beneficiaries and allegedly pocketing a portion of it.
This was among the conclusions reached on Monday by lawmakers from the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability following an exhaustive inquiry into the alleged misuse of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (P500 million) and the Department of Education (P112.5 million) in 2022 and 2023, during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.
The initial findings of the committee, chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, were summarized by Vice Chairman Rep. Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales, along with three other members — Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega and Assistant Majority Leaders Mika Suansing of Nueva Ecija and Pammy Zamora of Taguig.
“Dalawang Pasko ang lumipas na nilustay niya at kasabwat niya ang pera ng bayan. Para siyang Santa Claus ng OVP at DepEd na namimigay ng pera na pinaghirapan ng taumbayan,” Ortega said.
“Pero hindi lang pinapamigay, mukhang binubulsa pa. In short, yumayaman si VP Sara at ang kaniyang mga kasamahan, habang marami pa ang kumakapit pa rin sa patalim. Itong konting patak ng pera mula sa supposedly charitable programs ay makakalunas sa paghihirap at lalong-lalo na sa karamihan pwede na rin sana itong pantulong kung hindi sana niya ibinulsa. This is a crime of the highest order,” Ortega said.
“This is not only a culpable violation of the Constitution but a betrayal of the trust of the people that had been given to her,” he added.
Ortega added, “Mahigit kalahating bilyong piso, ilang classroom na sana ang napagawa nito. Ilang libro at laptop sana ang nabili ng perang ito, ilang feeding programs na po Mr. Chair ang maaaring isinagawa, hindi ito biro. Hindi biro ang kalahating bilyong piso. Malaking bagay sana kung nilaan ang perang ito sa lehitimong programa ng gobyerno.”
The committee did not recommend the impeachment of the Vice President, but Chua, Ortega and other panel members noted that its initial findings in the course of its inquiry were cited by impeachment petitioners in the complaints they filed with the House of Representatives.
Suansing summed up the irregularities uncovered by the committee in the use of the P612.5 million:
– Mga acknowledgment receipt (AR) na bogus at peke
– Mga liquidation reports na copy-paste across all quarters
– P53 million spent on alleged OVP “safehouses”
– Ang nakakamanghang pag-disburse ng pera sa 103 na tao sa loob lamang ng isang araw on 23 December 2024
– Ang paggasta ng P125 million in 11 days
– Ang napakaswerteng si Mr. Kokoy Villamin na dalawang beses nakatanggap ng pera mula sa DepEd and OVP.
– Ang mga ARs na mukhang pareho ang ginamit na pen and ink, despite having been signed by different people.
– Mga taong magkapareho ang signature pero different names and from different cities. It’s too much of a coincidence. Even the strokes of the pen are the same.
– Mga taong magkapareho ang sulat.
Suansing said there were acknowledgement receipts dated even at a time when a time when there were still no confidential funds release and when the funds have already been used up.
“Ang paggasta ng confidential funds ng OVP ay cinertify ni VP Sara. Under oath. All P500 million in confidential funds ng OVP. Ang sabi sa certification, ‘the expenditures are necessary ang utilized for legal purposes’. At anong pruweba na ginamit nila para dito? Ang mga pekeng acknowledgment receipts. Gawa-gawa lang para makapagsubmit ng documents evidencing payment,” she said.
“Of course, we cannot forget…kilalang kilala na po natin ang ating main character na si Ms. Mary Grace Piattos, who was recently confirmed to have no records at all with the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) – no birth certificate, no marriage certificate, no death certificate,” she said.
She asked: If Piattos did not exist, where did the money she supposedly received go?
“Mahirap hanapin ang taong di naman totoo. Walang Mary Grace Piattos na tumanggap ng pera. So kung walang Mary Grace Piattos, nasaan ang pera?” Suansing said.
Zamora cited the same irregularities and pattern of processing and disbursement of CIFs in the OVP happened in DepEd under Vice President Duterte’s stewardship.
“Similar to the OVP, the key individuals in the DepEd are those familiar with the Vice President even before she assumed office. I refer most specifically to Mr. Edward Fajarda and Atty. Sunshine Fajarda, who have been familiar with the Vice President since her time as the mayor of Davao City,” she said.
“Like Ms. Gina Acosta (of OVP), Mr. Fajarda is the SDO (special disbursing officer) entrusted to disburse confidential funds to the different recipients. That’s his job. Pero hindi po ‘yan ang ginagawa niya. He gives it all – P37.5 million each time – to the security officer of DepEd. At ayon sa kanya, wala siyang alam. Si VP Duterte lang ang nakakaalam nito,” she said.
Zamora recalled that in one hearing of the committee, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied receiving any amount of CIF from OVP or DepEd, although its certifications on its conduct of leadership training for the youth were used in CIF liquidation reports.
Chua informed his panel that the AFP has informed him that it is conducting an “internal investigation” into the alleged receipt of millions of CIFs from OVP and DepEd by a colonel who heads the OVP security group and another colonel who is the education department’s security officer.
For his part, Khonghun said the good government committee has uncovered numerous evidence of alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds by the OVP and DepEd.
“Ang mga ebidensiyang inilahad sa kasong ito ay malinaw at hindi maikakaila…Ang mga pondo na may layuning maglingkod sa pambansang seguridad at iba pang makatarungang layunin at hindi ginugol alinsunod sa mga itinakdang layunin ng batas. Sa halip, ito ay ginamit sa mga hindi awtorisadong gastusin at para sa sariling kapakinabangan,” he said.
Ortega said the committee was accused of harassment and persecution in inquiring into the alleged misuse of CIFs of OVP and DepEd.
“Habang tinalakay po natin ang usaping ito, marami ang nasaktan, marami ang nagsabing kami ay nanggigipit. Hindi po. Ginawa namin ang aming trabaho. Mahirap, oo, dahil this is about a very popular Vice President. But there is the greater duty of ensuring public accountability and transparency. So let the chips fall where they may,” he said.
