OVP exec warned: Interfering with House hearings merits contempt order

Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano. | PHOTO: Facebook page of Abang Lingkod Partylist-Negros

MANILA, Philippines — An Office of the Vice President (OVP) official has been warned that interfering with House of Representatives hearings would eventually merit a contempt citation, as officials ordered to show up at the congressional probe were given travel orders.

During the House of Representatives’ committee hearing on good government and public accountability on Wednesday, Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano claimed that it seems the OVP is hiding its personnel needed for the panel’s probe into alleged fund misuse.

Paduano said previous travel orders showed where the OVP personnel were headed to, but the recent ones provided by Atty. Rosalynne Sanchez, OVP’s Director for Administrative and Financial Services, had no particular location.

“Ma’am, you know, looking back at the excuse letter during the last hearing, for example, in the case of Gina Acosta, she has a travel authority, and their travel during the time was, I think, in Bacolod City, at the satellite office.  It was clear with her travel authority where and when she was traveling,” Paduano told Sanchez in a mix of Filipino and English.

“During that hearing, if my memory serves me right, that was the second invitation, and that was the excuse of Gina Acosta, with the official travel order that was for the Bacolod City satellite office.  Today, your problem is that Ma’am, Atty. Sanchez, you are releasing a travel authority without a specific area,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.

Acosta, OVP’s special disbursing officer, is one of the four OVP personnel cited for contempt by the committee last November 11, for not showing up despite numerous invitations.

READ: OVP execs who skipped House probe cited for contempt, ordered arrested 

Paduano then reminded Sanchez that she should not use the lack of a specific area to visit inside the travel order as a reason, as it could be considered undue interference with the House hearing.

“That’s why you shouldn’t use as an alibi the lack of a specific time, date and place.  Lastly I just want to warn you, don’t you know, by telling (that) in this committee, you’re violating Section 11 of our rules, letter F, undue interference — that’s our internal rules, you’re violating Section 11, paragraph F, of our rules.  Undue interference during scheduled hearings by the committee,” he said.

In response, Sanchez said that she only relayed the travel order which came from Lemuel Ortonio, OVP’s Assistant Chief-of-Staff and chairperson of the agency’s Bids and Awards Committee — who was also cited for contempt.

“Mr. Chair, earlier I was asked to check for records for the travel orders, so that’s what I did Mr. Chair, I just checked.  And from the report of our Central Records Unit, they provided me the copies of the travel orders Mr. Chair.  So for the period of November 10 to 15 Mr. Chair, that is what was mentioned by Honorable Congressman Paduano, that Ms. Gina Acosta travelled to a satellite office, and (it is) place specific,” Sanchez explained.

“But Mr. Chair, another travel order was issued for November 18 to 22,” she added, later on revealing that it was Ortonio who signed the travel order.

“Attorney I just cited our internal rules, I hope you will answer truthfully so that this committee will not be forced to cite you in contempt, gano’n lang po,” Paduano noted.

Aside from Acosta and Ortonio, the panel previously cited for contempt former Education Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda and her husband, former Department of Education (DepEd) official Edward Fajarda.

Lawmakers believe the four OVP personnel can address questions regarding allegedly anomalous transactions of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office, particularly regarding the confidential fund (CF) usage.

Earlier, the committee unearthed another issue with acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for confidential expenditures, as there were two different ARs signed by a single person, but showed different handwriting and signature styles.

Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs for CFs — one for the OVP) and one for DepEd — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin.

Villamin signed the AR for the OVP’s CF expenditures last September 17, 2023.  The AR for the DepEd’s CF expenses did not show a date, but it was also signed by Villamin, who appears to be from Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental.  Villamin’s signature on the OVP AR was longer than the one on the DepEd AR.

READ: P1-M reward for information on Mary Grace Piattos – House lawmakers 

This is not the first time that OVP was called out for problems regarding its ARs.  During the committee’s previous hearing last November 5, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop pointed out to COA that several of the ARs were signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos — which he said bears a first name similar to a coffee shop, while her last name is a famous potato chip brand.

The ARs signed off by Piattos were part of the liquidation reports discussed during the same hearing, referring to the P23.8 million confidential funds covered by 158 receipts.