House panel eyes plunder vs Sara

CEBU, Philippines — The failure of Vice President Sara Duterte to fully account the P112.5 million in confidential funds she advanced during her stint as education secretary will make her liable for plunder, a senior administration lawmaker warned yesterday.

“These funds are taxpayers’ money, and we have to ensure that these are spent judiciously,” Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. said, referring to three separate checks issued, each worth P37.5 million, during the first three quarters of 2023, when the vice president was still leading the agency.

“If the VP, as head of the Department of Education then, cannot give us a clear explanation as to how were these spent, then it is our duty as lawmakers to pursue what is necessary and legal, which may include the recommendation for plunder, to protect the public interest,” Gonzales said.

“If she cannot explain how this P112.5 million were spent, we may have no choice but to consider recommending the filing of a plunder case,” he reiterated. With the threshold for plunder set at P50 million, the P112.5 million in question significantly surpasses that limit.

The three checks were issued to DepEd Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda.

Although a sitting VP is an impeachable official, legal and constitutional experts have previously clarified that, unlike the President, the Vice President does not enjoy immunity from suit, leaving them open to criminal charges while in office.

Gonzales, a congressman from the third district of Pampanga, issued the warning as he continued to press for answers regarding the questionable disbursement uncovered during the October 17 hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

During the hearing presided by panel chairman Rep. Joel Chua of Manila, Gonzales directed a series of questions to DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla about the disbursement of the confidential funds, as well as Fajarda’s role in cashing them.

Sevilla confirmed that the checks were issued and cashed by Fajarda in accordance with the standard procedures for cash advances involving confidential and intelligence funds, adding her role as undersecretary for finance was limited to processing the disbursement of the funds.

She also noted, at the same time, that the DepEd Finance Office had no role in overseeing how the funds were ultimately spent.

 “There is no record where we can see the full accounting or budget on the utilization or liquidation,” she explained.

This response earned Gonzales’ ire, saying this is a vital issue with the documentation of the transactions.

 “This check has a corresponding voucher right? So, how come Mr. Fajarda was able to encash the check?” he asked.

Sevilla then confirmed that the checks were encashed at Land Bank of the Philippines and that Fajarda was responsible for transporting the funds.

Gonzales pointed out discrepancies in the documentation, noting that the disbursement vouchers for the funds were labeled as Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) rather than confidential funds.

This, he argued, raises serious concerns about how the funds were categorized and whether they were used for their intended purposes. He emphasized that such mislabeling could indicate a lack of transparency and potential misuse of the public funds allocated for sensitive programs.