FORMER Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil Mercado submitted nine envelopes to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Wednesday, claiming they were evidence of regular cash payments from Vice President Sara Duterte intended to influence her during her time as the agency’s head of procuring entity (HOPE).
Visibly emotional, Mercado pulled out the envelopes, each labeled “HOPE,” and said that they used to contain P50,000, totaling P450,000.
This submission came in response to the Vice President’s denial of giving her monthly cash payments over a nine-month period.
“Kasi ang sakit naman noon. Ordinaryo lang akong trabahante, tapos inaano ka ng Vice President. It’s very painful,” Mercado said as she handed over the envelopes to the committee during the interpellation of House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre.
Mercado explained that she never opened the envelopes while at DepEd, only discovering their contents after her retirement.
Upon receiving advice, she donated the money to a non-government organization (NGO), which provided her with a receipt that she also offered to the committee as evidence.
In her testimony, Mercado revealed that she received the envelopes monthly between February and September 2023 from Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, allegedly on behalf of Vice President Duterte.
Mercado, who resigned in October 2023, suggested that her departure was due to her refusal to bypass procurement guidelines.
The submission of the envelopes was part of Mercado’s effort to clear her name amid the allegations made by the Vice President.
Duterte had accused Mercado of soliciting P16 million in donations from the private sector without her knowledge, describing her as a “disgruntled” former official and promising to provide a paper trail to back up her claims.
Addressing this accusation, Mercado explained that the P16 million in question was intended to fund equipment for the DepEd Guru app and other technological improvements aimed at connecting teachers and automating the application process at the agency.
She emphasized that these donations were in the form of equipment, not cash, and that no improper actions were taken.
“There was no money involved there. These are equipment donations, not cash,” she clarified, adding that the two corporations involved were willing to provide affidavits confirming that no cash solicitation occurred.
Mercado, reflecting on her 40 years of public service, expressed the personal hurt she felt in the face of the accusations.
“It’s very painful. I’ve served the Republic for 40 long years, and then this happens,” she said.
