VP: Millions spent in a day ‘not surprising’

Vice President Sara Z. Duterte during her press conference at the Office of the Vice President, Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, Mandaluyong City. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday downplayed the multimillion “safe house” rentals paid for by her office’s confidential funds for 11 days in 2022, saying they were not unusual expenditures by government.

“You know, it’s not surprising in government to spend millions in a day,” she told reporters in an interview at her office.

“Even during our days at DepEd (Department of Education), we even signed billions in one day just for the money (public funds) to be released. So, it’s not surprising.”

This was her response to legislators who questioned the P16 million the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent to rent 34 safe houses from Dec. 21, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022, as shown by acknowledgement receipts (ARs) submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA).

But the two-hour press briefing ended with more questions than answers as Duterte refused to respond to the red flags raised by lawmakers looking into the alleged misappropriation of public funds of the OVP and DepEd in 2022 and 2023, when she was still the education chief.

“They’re already doing the auditing. That’s why I don’t answer them, cause they’re the ones doing the audit. COA didn’t even ask about [those safe houses], all they asked for were documents for the expenditures. So, we submitted those,” Duterte said.

‘Demolition job’

The COA officials present in Thursday’s hearing were asked why the state auditor failed to question the OVP’s disclosures and merely did “ministerial” work on the documents they received from Duterte’s office.

For Duterte, the ongoing inquiry by the House committee on good government was just part of a “demolition job” to create grounds for her impeachment.

“The thing with the hearing yesterday … no matter what the resource person’s explanation was, they would just contradict it,” she said. “They just want an impeachment …. They can’t do that because they have no case for an impeachment.”

Duterte, however, declined to substantiate her allegations against the House committee.

This was the same reason raised by senior OVP officials who refused to appear in the House hearing on Thursday, telling the panel in a position paper that it was “unnecessary” for the lower chamber to conduct an inquiry and that their presence was therefore “not needed.”

Duterte defended them, saying that “some people are not used to the pressure and stress of coming out on national TV just to be shamed.”

“We have not really discussed our next move yet, but I told them that I’m with you every step of the way. If you decide to be detained [at the House], I will go with you,” she said.

Must attend hearing

The officials called to appear at the committee hearing were OVP chief of staff and lawyer Zuleika Lopez; Assistant Secretary and assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio; lawyer Rosalynne Sanchez, director of OVP administrative and financial services office; OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta; and former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.

On DepEd’s P15.54 million in payments to “informers” from its confidential funds for military-related programs, Duterte explained that the amount did not go to the Youth Leaders’ Summit (YLS), but for “information” on kids at risk of being exposed to the insurgency.

“It was used for the supporting information in areas where we got reports of children at risk. We didn’t give any CF (confidential funds) to the AFP, we didn’t give any CF to the YLS,” she said.

Duterte, however, refused to answer further questions from the media regarding DepEd’s use of its secret funds.

House members called out Duterte for her “desperate” and “rude” statements against the ongoing inquiry.

In separate statements, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Jose Manuel Dalipe of Zamboanga City and Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, called on Duterte to stop evading the confidential fund issues.

“Public funds are at stake here. Stop diverting the issue and address the controversy directly,” Gonzales said. “Don’t just be evasive. The people deserve clear answers. You even used the military yet they were denied what was due to them. This needs to be explained.”

No hiding facts

For his part, Dalipe warned Duterte that “desperation won’t hide the facts.”

“The public deserves transparency about how public money, military resources and the education sector were handled. It’s time for Duterte to stop dodging and face the music,” he said.

According to him, Duterte’s resignation from the DepEd was “the best decision she ever made.”

Valeriano shrugged off Duterte’s claims of a “constitutional crisis” under the Marcos administration, reminding her that such a crisis would only happen if she tries to usurp the presidency.

“Do not be deceived by her mad ranting. Her world is getting smaller now because the truth about her graft and corruption is being laid out in the open for all the people to witness and is being meticulously documented, so that the prosecutors and courts will have the evidence they need to decide her fate,” Valeriano said.

“The rule of law will prevail against VP Sara who has violated our country’s laws. She does not have presidential immunity,” he added. “VP Sara is posturing and may be getting ready to become president.”

Army certifications

A retired Philippine Army general and three senior Army officers said they would not have issued certifications for the youth summits to DepEd had they known that it would be used to justify the department’s payments to informants.

“If we were made aware that the certification was going to be used to justify expenses that never passed through our office, we would not have issued it,” said Col. Manaros Boransing.

It is not the policy of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to issue certifications for events or expenses that the military is not directly involved in, according to Boransing.

The others from the Army who appeared at the hearing were retired Maj. Gen. Adonis Bajao, Lt. Col. Carlos Sangdaan Jr. and Col. Magtangol Panopio.

The four officers had supervised the YLS, part of the Army’s anti-insurgency program in various localities supposedly to combat recruitment of students by communist rebels.

Who footed bill?

DepEd participated but it was the Army that footed the bill. In 2023, DepEd asked these officers to issue certifications for a different purpose.

The four officers also denied any knowledge that their certifications would be used to support DepEd’s claim of using confidential funds for informant rewards.

Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro noted that the certifications, meant solely to confirm the military’s participation in YLS, were used without the AFP’s knowledge to justify DepEd’s payout.

Luistro said that until the present, “we’re not even sure whether that money was indeed paid as a reward to informers.”