THE existence of cash envelopes Vice President Sara Duterte was allegedly handing out to high-ranking Department of Education (DepEd) officials during her tenure as secretary was confirmed by another department executive in yesterday’s hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
DepEd director and former Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman Resty Osias told the Blue Ribbon panel that he received four envelopes containing P12,000 to P15,000 cash from VP Duterte on four occasions in 2023.
“I must say, I did. thought it was a common practice in the department. The very first time I encountered that matter was sometime in April of 2023,” Osias said.
Osias was answering questions from Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, whom he told that he received envelopes from VP Duterte from April 2023 to September 2023 through former DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda.
“I didn’t know why I was summoned to the office of ASec Shine. And then, I was given an envelope. It was later on I found out there was money in it. It’s not because I was BAC member yet, because I wasn’t at that time,” Osias explained.
Former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Mercado in a previous hearing of the panel revealed that she received nine envelopes from VP Duterte containing P50,000 each while she was DepEd’s Head of Procuring Entity (HOPE), fueling allegations that they may be bribes.
Valeriano noted the timing when the envelopes for Osias stopped in September 2023, also the same time the confidential funds involving VP Duterte were questioned.
“Mukhang sumakto. Sa panahon na ‘di na ginagamit ng DepEd ang confidential funds for the last quarter nang pumuputok na issue ng confidential funds,” Valeriano said.
