Sara Duterte exhibits up at Home probe into OVP fund

VP SARA DUTERTE composite picture from Inquirer file photographs

MANILA, Philippines — After solely attending the primary listening to of the congressional probe into her workplaces’ fund utilization, Vice President Sara Duterte once more confirmed up earlier than the Home of Representatives committee on good authorities on Monday.

In a press convention on the Veterans Memorial Medical Heart, Duterte stated she would attend the listening to to accompany the 4 Workplace of the Vice President (OVP) and Division of Schooling (DepEd) personnel who had been summoned by the panel.

“Kailangan kong samahan sa Home listening to ‘yung mga OVP personnel na nandoon,” Duterte stated.

(I’ve to accompany the OVP personnel who’re there on the Home listening to.)

Duterte arrived on the Home’s Folks Heart, the place the committee listening to was being held, at 11:56 a.m.

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Earlier, the 4 OVP officers who had been cited for contempt by the Home panel appeared after shunning previous invites.  The committee secretariat confirmed that the next OVP officers had been contained in the listening to room:

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• Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio – Assistant Chief of Workers and Chair of the Bids and Awards Committee
• Gina Acosta – Particular Disbursing Officer (SDO)
• Sunshine Fajarda – former Division of Schooling (DepEd) Assistant Secretary
• Edward Fajarda – former DepEd official

Final November 11, the 4 OVP officers had been cited for contempt upon the movement of Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop for his or her “continued defiance” of invites and summons issued towards them.

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

Their presence is believed to be key for the committee’s investigation as lawmakers stated they suppose they might be capable of make clear the problems involving acknowledgment receipts (ARs) for confidential fund (CF) expenditures made by the OVP and the DepEd.

Beforehand, the committee uncovered points relating to the ARs, akin to cases the place the CF was acquired by the identical particular person, however the signatures had been completely different.

Final November 20, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong confirmed two ARs — one for OVP and one other from DepEd — which had been each acquired by a sure Kokoy Villamin.

For the OVP’s CF expenditures, Villamin signed the AR on September 17, 2023.  The AR for the DepEd’s CF bills didn’t present a date, but it surely was additionally signed by Villamin, who gave the impression to be from Ozamis Metropolis, Misamis Occidental. Nevertheless, Villamin’s signature on the OVP AR was longer than the one on the DepEd AR.

Earlier than this, the OVP was additionally known as out for issues relating to its ARs. In the course of the committee’s listening to final November 5, Acop identified that a number of of the ARs had been signed by a sure Mary Grace Piattos, which he stated bears a primary identify much like a espresso store, whereas her final identify is a well-known potato chip model.

The ARs signed off by Piattos had been a part of the liquidation studies mentioned throughout the identical listening to, referring to the P23.8 million confidential funds coated by 158 receipts.

READ: P1-M reward for info on Mary Grace Piattos – Home lawmakers