Sara Duterte shows up at House probe into OVP fund

VP SARA DUTERTE composite image from Inquirer file photos

MANILA, Philippines — After only attending the first hearing of the congressional probe into her offices’ fund utilization, Vice President Sara Duterte again showed up before the House of Representatives committee on good government on Monday.

In a press conference at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Duterte said she would attend the hearing to accompany the four Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) personnel who were summoned by the panel.

“Kailangan kong samahan sa House hearing ‘yung mga OVP personnel na nandoon,” Duterte said.

(I have to accompany the OVP personnel who are there at the House hearing.)

Duterte arrived at the House’s People Center, where the committee hearing was being held, at 11:56 a.m.

Earlier, the four OVP officials who were cited for contempt by the House panel appeared after shunning past invitations.  The committee secretariat confirmed that the following OVP officials were inside the hearing room:

• Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio – Assistant Chief of Staff and Chair of the Bids and Awards Committee
• Gina Acosta – Special Disbursing Officer (SDO)
• Sunshine Fajarda – former Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary
• Edward Fajarda – former DepEd official

Last November 11, the four OVP officials were cited for contempt upon the motion of Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop for their “continued defiance” of invitations and summons issued against them.

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

Their presence is believed to be key for the committee’s investigation as lawmakers said they think they would be able to shed light on the issues involving acknowledgment receipts (ARs) for confidential fund (CF) expenditures made by the OVP and the DepEd.

Previously, the committee uncovered issues regarding the ARs, such as instances where the CF was received by the same person, but the signatures were different.

Last November 20, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs — one for OVP and another from DepEd — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin.

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

Before this, the OVP was also called out for problems regarding its ARs. During the committee’s hearing last November 5, Acop pointed out 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.

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