Wacky spending by OVP, DepEd

Remember Janet Lim Napoles’ P10-billion pork barrel scam?

Resourcefulness enabled her to plunder for 20 senators and 100 congressmen in 2000-2013.

Her scheme involved rosters of “beneficiaries” of lawmakers’ “livelihood projects.”

Coming up with names was never a problem. She copied from newspapers the passers of year-round board exams for teachers, engineers, nurses, doctors and lawyers. Nobody noticed for 13 long years.

Not so with Office of the Vice President and Department of Education.

Hundred-million-peso confidential spending by OVP and DepEd under Sara Duterte in 2022-2023 are wacky.

Nine examples from six hearings of the House committee on good government and public accountability:

(1) “Kokoy Villamin” supposedly received confidential cash from OVP on Sept. 17, 2023. Also from DepEd, no date, but with generic address “Ozamiz.”

Signatures and penmanship clearly differ, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed. Yet OVP and DepEd irregularly accepted Acknowledgement Receipts (ARs) from an obvious nickname “Kokoy.”

(2) Several OVP ARs came from “Mary Grace Piattos.” One was for P70,000 reward in medicines on Dec. 30, 2022.

There’s an old low-key Piatos clan in Duterte’s Davao City. But none first named Mary Grace.

“Obviously concocted,” Rep. Romeo Acop noted. “Mary Grace” is a nationwide café-bakery chain of 137 outlets. “Piattos” is a famous potato chips brand.

(3) Other OVP ARs were for surnames “Nova,” “Oishi,” “Tempura.” Or mere initials “AAS” and “JOV.”

(4) Committee chair Rep. Joel Chua said 158 OVP ARs “were issued on dates when there were no confidential funds. All were dated December 2023, but for disbursements in December 2022.”

(5) Ten OVP ARs from different persons in different provinces and on different dates had the same distinguishing ink.

Agencies use black or blue ballpens, a Commission on Audit rep said. But Acop, a retired PNP general, said the detective in him finds “highly irregular the use of Diamine Passion Blue ink by different persons on different dates and places.”

(6) DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda withdrew P37.5 million on Feb. 20, 2023.

“The next day he supposedly personally disbursed cash in seven far-flung sites: Malolos in Bulacan, Davao Region, San Francisco in Agusan del Sur, Makati City in Metro Manila, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Davao City,” Rep. Ramon Gutierrez gasped.

On March 15, 2023, Gutierrez added, Fajarda again “personally disbursed” money in 20 locations: Davao del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Oriental Mindoro, Laguna, Zamboanga del Sur, Cebu, Ifugao, Antique, Batanes, Pampanga, Legaspi, Lanao del Norte, Batangas, Tarlac, Metro Manila, Samar, Davao de Oro, Agusan del Norte, Cavite, Surigao del Norte.

(7) Duterte as VP had no confidential funds for 2022. That’s because predecessor VP Leni Robredo had not asked for any in July 2016-June 2022. Yet Malacañang gave Duterte unprogrammed P125 million in December 2022.

Duterte used it up in 11 days, Dec. 21-31, including Christmas, Rizal Day and New Year’s Eve holidays.

Expenses included P16-million rentals of 34 “safe houses.” Rates ranged from P45,000 to P250,000 a day, costlier than in posh Boracay. Half-a-million pesos went to one lessor for 11 days. A million went to another for four days.

(8) Despite having no confidential funds before, DepEd got P150 million under Duterte’s secretaryship in January 2023-July 2024. One justification was to surveil campus bullies and student activists.

COA questioned DepEd’s claimed spending of P15.54 million for Youth Summits in 2023. It discovered that the AFP and local government units had bankrolled all the expenses.

(9) Former DepEd procurement officer Usec. Gloria Jumamil Mercado, PhD, disclosed being given P50,000 a month for nine months. Cash envelopes were handed to her in Duterte’s office by head executive assistant Sunshine Fajarda, wife of special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.

Hesitating to call it bribes, Mercado described the cash handouts as “influencing.”

It was her first time to experience it in 40 years of government service. Her stints included professorship at the Public Safety College and AFP Command and General Staff. Also SVP-deanship at Development Academy of the Philippines, which trains career executives.

She was Duterte’s masteral thesis adviser at DAP.

Two other DepEd key officers admitted to being given extra cash on top of regular salaries. Chief accountant Rhunna Catalan received P25,000 a month for nine months. Bids and Awards committee chairman Resty Osias, P12,000-P15,000 four times between April and September 2023.

Duterte has snubbed the House hearings. She replied through press interviews. Subordinates claimed to be on official travel to evade subpoenas.

Duterte belittled Mercado as a “disgruntled ex-employee.”

Congressmen found COA invitees uncooperative. The Constitution requires COA to scrutinize all state spending.

Acop asked one COA officer the term used when funds are spent for projects other than what’s intended. The latter beat around the bush for five minutes before whispering “malversation.”

On questioning by Gutierrez, another claimed that COA is only now strictly auditing OVP expenses after learning from the investigating committee.

The last hearing on Nov. 20 elicited two admission from employees of Land Bank, the government depository:

• OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta made four cash withdrawals, P125 million each, totaling P500 million between December 2022 and September 2023.

Tellers found unusual her and four companions’ taking cash over the counter in three or four duffel bags. No armored cars, no security arrangements.

OVP admin-finance chief Rosalynne Sanchez didn’t know where the money was kept, given that Acosta shares a small office with several staffers. The OVP safe can fit only petty cash, payroll and allowances.

• Tellers at the branch near DepEd recounted SDO Fajarda thrice withdrawing P37.5 million each, totaling P112.5 million in 2023. Assisted by one male, Fajarda stuffed the cash in two duffel bags and walked out the fire exit.