The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has issued subpoenas to six of Vice President Sara Duterte's officials again, warning that if they fail to appear in the panel's next hearing, they will be ordered arrested.
The Blue Ribbon panel chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua issued the subpoenas to Atty. Zuleika Lopez, VP Duterte’s chief-of-staff; Atty. Lemuel Ortonio, assistant OVP COS; Atty. Rosalynne Sanchez, OVP Director for Administrative and Financial Services; Gina Acosta, OVP Special Disbursing Officer; Julieta Villadelrey, OVP Chief Accountant: and Edward D. Fajarda, former DepEd Special Disbursing Officer and now with the OVP.
"Do I hear a motion for the issuance of subpoena ad testificandum to the resource persons that we invited or subject of show cause order, and yet they refused to attend and recognize this committee," said Chua.
Rep. Keith Flores responded, "Mr. Chair, I move that we issue subpoena ad testificandum to the persons named by the Comsec who were issued show cause orders."
"So those resource persons are subject to the show-cause order. So, do I hear a second to the motion of Honorable Keith? Duly seconded … The Comsec has been ordered to issue a subpoena ad testificandum to the following resource persons," Chua said.
The committee issued show-cause orders to the OVP officials following their absences. Chua signaled that further action may include contempt citations and possible arrests if they continue to evade the inquiry.
The investigation stems from accusations that the OVP misused P125 million in confidential funds, with the Commission on Audit (COA) flagging P73 million.
The COA report raised red flags after the bulk of the amount was spent in 11 days, from Dec. 20 to 31, 2022. Despite issuing show-cause orders, none of the officials attended recent hearings.
Chua, in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Justice, has also requested the issuance of a lookout bulletin order to ensure the officials do not evade accountability by leaving the country.
He added, "May I also request that a lookout bulletin order be issued in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and DOJ?"
The hearing also touched on the alleged role of Atty. Lopez, the OVP chief of staff, and her team in managing the disbursements and the lack of transparency in the use of the funds.
This investigation is part of a broader inquiry into the OVP's budgetary practices and questionable use of government funds. The inquiry also touched on the irregularities of VP Duterte's term as Secretary of Education.
The issue has stirred public interest, with calls for greater oversight of government spending and the role of high-ranking officials in ensuring proper use of public funds.
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