MANILA, Philippines (Updated Nov. 12, 2024, 10:48 a.m.) — It is not the first time that Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff and special disbursing officer worked under her when confidential and intelligence funds were used, a House lawmaker pointed out.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability held its fifth hearing on Monday, November 11, to investigate the alleged misuse of funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023.
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Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) suggested that OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez may have expertise in managing confidential and intelligence funds, as they also served Duterte during her time as Davao City mayor.
While Acosta’s exact position in Davao City remains unclear, Lopez served as city administrator from 2010 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022, both during Duterte’s mayoral terms.
What we know about them. Lopez was named by former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Mercado as the person who ordered her to resign in 2023. However, Mercado chose to retire instead, suspecting that her strong opposition to unlawful bidding practices was the reason Lopez requested her resignation.
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Acosta, meanwhile, was among the OVP officials named in connection with the disbursement of cash advances, as well as the physical and financial plans for confidential and intelligence funds.
She is also included in the list of officials identified by the Commission on Audit as liable for the P73 million in disallowed confidential funds, meaning state auditors found the spending to be improper or irregular.
Who holds the confidential funds? OVP Administrative and Financial Services Director Rosalynne Sanchez told the committee that “it should be the special disbursing officer” who handles the confidential funds.
She also confirmed with Rep. David “Jay-Jay” Suarez (Quezon, 2nd District) that it is Acosta, Lopez and Duterte who oversee the use of confidential funds.
She explained that it is Acosta who reports to Lopez, Duterte’s chief of staff, who in turn reports directly to Duterte.
Former OVP spokesperson Michael Poa also said at a previous hearing that “it would be the secretary” who is responsible for the confidential funds. Duterte previously served as DepEd secretary from 2022 to before resigning on June 19.
Given that Lopez and Acosta are long-time personnel of Duterte, Luistro suggested that it would not be surprising for the two to be directly involved in the expenditure of OVP’s confidential funds.
Davao City’s confidential funds
Citing data from the Commission on Audit, Luistro said Davao City spent over P400 million annually on confidential funds during most of Duterte's last term as mayor.
From P144 million in 2016, Davao City's confidential fund increased to P294 million in 2017. It then surged by 42.86% to P420 million in 2018. A third increase was made in 2019, and from 2019 to 2022, the city spent P460 million annually.
At the second hearing on September 25, Luistro emphasized that no other city received as large a confidential fund as Davao City in 2022.
Makati City had the closest amount, with P240 million — roughly half of Davao City’s total — while Cebu City paled in comparison with only P7.38 million.
Acosta and Lopez were once again absent at the House good governance committee’s inquiry.
The committee cited her in contempt and ordered her arrest, along with three other OVP officials, for repeatedly refusing to attend the hearings. Lopez, however, was granted one final chance based on the reason she provided to the committee.
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Only four of the nine subpoenaed OVP officials appeared, each stating they had no personal knowledge of how the confidential and intelligence funds were actually spent.
The OVP is under scrutiny for its use of P500 million in confidential funds spanning from the last quarter of 2022 through the first three quarters of 2023, while the DepEd of Duterte's term is being questioned over P112.5 million in confidential funds.
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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability held its fourth hearing. This has been corrected to reflect that the hearing was the fifth. We apologize for the oversight.