THE chairperson of the House Blue Ribbon Committee on Wednesday said only the “inner circle” of Vice President Sara Duterte can provide clarity on the alleged irregular use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) but these key officials who manage these funds remain absent from the proceedings.
“Today, we continue our pursuit of the truth and our attempts to make sense of the way which hundreds of millions of public funds were used,” said Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, in his opening remarks.
Chua noted that while some career public officials from the OVP had attended previous hearings under subpoena, their knowledge of the confidential funds was limited.
“At this point, magbibigay lamang ako ng isang obserbasyon muna – tila ang mga napadalang representatives ng OVP ay unti lamang ang nalalaman tungkol sa Confidential Funds. Kung ito ba ay dahil sa kanilang status bilang career officials at hindi mga nasa ‘inner circle’ ng Bise-Presidente, hindi pa natin alam,” Chua stated.
He pointed out two individuals hold direct responsibility for managing the OVP’s confidential funds: Vice President Sara Duterte, as the head of the agency, and Gina F. Acosta, the Special Disbursing Officer (SDO).
Similarly, at DepEd, the head and SDO are Duterte and Edward D. Fajarda, respectively.
However, these officials have not appeared before the committee despite repeated invitations.
Chua revealed troubling insights from the previous hearings, including the claim that confidential funds were used to augment regular programs.
“Nagmukhang ang confidential funds ay ginagamit upang mag-augment ng pondo ng regular na programa ng OVP at hindi ginagamit sa hiwalay na programang may kinalaman talaga sa confidential expenses o surveillance activities to support the mandate or operations of the agency,” he said.
The committee learned that the expenses of the OVP had surged by over 400%, largely due to the operations of satellite offices.
“Ang mga satellite offices ng OVP ay kumokonsumo sa higit kalahati ng pondo ng OVP,” Chua stated.
He added the officials overseeing these satellite offices have avoided attending the hearings to answer questions about their spending.
Chua also noted discrepancies in the use of confidential funds despite existing guidelines under Joint Circular No. 2015-01.
“Isa sa mga resource person natin ang nagpahayag na ang confidential activities katulad ng surveillance activities in relation to confidential funds ay ginagamit in relation to the mandate of the agency – which mandate pertains to the general operations of the agency,” he explained.
Highlighting the committee’s role in safeguarding public funds, Chua stressed the importance of legislative reforms.
“Ito marahil ang dapat gawan ng batas – bumalangkas ng panukalang magbibigay direksyon sa mga ahensiya sa paggamit ng confidential funds at anong aktibidad ang confidential activities, at ang tamang pagsusuri nito ng ating mga ahensiya na may oversight,” he said.
Chua expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation from key officials, which he said has hindered the progress of the hearings.
“Mas mabilis sanang masasagot ang katanungan at malulutas ang mga isyu ng ating pagdinig kung sa simula pa lamang ay nagpa-abot na ng pakikipagtulungan sa pamamagitan ng pagdalo ang mga opisyales ng OVP,” he said.
The chairperson called attention to dubious acknowledgment receipts and questionable individuals linked to the disbursement of funds.
“Ating naitala ang hindi kapani-paniwalang katauhang nakatanggap ng confidential fund na may ngalang Mary Grace Piattos,” Chua said.
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