1,992 more names in OVP fund need verification

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) may have to verify the authenticity of 1,992 more names being linked to P500-million confidential funds allegedly misused by Vice President Sara Duterte.

The House committee on good government and public accountability, chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, relayed to the PSA for verification a new list of names in acknowledgement receipts supposedly for recipients of Duterte’s confidential funds.

“May we request for the verification of the Civil Registry Documents (birth, marriage and death) of the names in the attached list relative to the investigation being conducted by the Committee,” Chua said in a letter dated Dec. 9 to national statistician and civil registrar general Claire Dennis Mapa.

Chua’s request came in the wake of a PSA report that revealed glaring discrepancies in an earlier batch of names linked to the P112.5 million in confidential funds disbursed by the Department of Education (DepEd) when it was still headed by Duterte. The Vice President served as DepEd chief until last July after a falling out with President Marcos.

Out of the 677 names verified by the PSA, 405 have no records of birth, marriage or death that matched the names in the acknowledgment receipts for disbursements of confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd.

Marizza Grande, assistant national statistician, confirmed the certification but clarified that “the absence of the civil registry record cannot be a conclusive proof of the individual’s non-existence.”

“There are cases when the birth certificate of an individual is not registered or we do not have the additional information needed for the verification,” Grande explained.

This time, Chua said the 1,992 names under scrutiny appeared on acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify confidential fund expenditures from late 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

Chua underscored the importance of PSA verification in uncovering potential irregularities.

“A certification that these names are not in the PSA database would bolster suspicions that they do not exist and that the ARs were fabricated to justify confidential fund expenditures by the OVP and DepEd under Vice President Duterte,” he said.

The ARs, which serve as documentation for the distribution of funds, are now under intense scrutiny due to potential fabrication based on discrepancies in the records.

Faces NBI, VP urged

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) urged Duterte to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is investigating her alleged threats against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“If they believe that she is better off not attending, that’s her lookout,” DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said in an interview, apparently also addressing her lawyers.

“But that’s a matter that will be left to the discretion of her defense team but it will be best if she will present herself because that’s part of the process,” he added.

At a midnight press briefing last month, Duterte claimed having contracted someone to kill the three should an alleged assassination threat on her succeed.

Duterte earlier expressed her intention to not attend the NBI probe, which had already been rescheduled to accommodate her schedule, citing advice from her lawyers that her appearance is not necessary since the submission of an affidavit or position paper would suffice.

She also said that she had a scheduled event with reporters and other engagements on the same day.

“Everybody should follow the rule of law and the processes with respect to investigations by our law enforcement agencies,” Vasquez added.

The NBI originally summoned Duterte to appear at its hearing on Nov. 29 but she did not attend and instead asked the NBI to reschedule her appearance.

To explain her absence, she said found out too late about the cancelation of a House inquiry scheduled on the same date.

The House panel is looking into the use of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under Duterte’s leadership.

Duterte also sought a reset of the hearing to give her more time to prepare.

The NBI then set for Dec. 11 the new date for the hearing.

The DOJ earlier said Duterte could face complaints for libel, defamation and grave threat for her remarks against Marcos.

Duterte earlier said her statement was taken out of context, citing the “revenge plot” had a specific condition.