Rep. Joel Chua 鈥擧ouse of Representatives photo
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The House committee on good government and accountability has recommended the filing of criminal charges against Vice President Sara Duterte and some of her key subordinates in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) for the alleged misuse of confidential funds given to these agencies.
The panel, led by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, said Duterte and other DepEd officials should be held liable for a host of charges: technical malversation, graft and corruption, plunder, falsification, perjury, and bribery.
It alleged that the secret funds were used for purposes other than what the law intended, and that documents were falsified as cover for 鈥済host鈥� or fictitious beneficiaries.
READ: Impeachment court sends Sara Duterte case back to House
The recommendation was contained in a 53-page committee report adopted by the House plenary late Tuesday.
Part of impeach raps
The move came three days before the 19th Congress adjourned on June 13, as the Senate was debating the fate of the impeachment complaint filed by the House last February against Duterte.
The impeachment complaint, which was endorsed by 215 lawmakers, was also based partly on the committee鈥檚 findings after it conducted for several months an inquiry into DepEd and OVP spending under Duterte.
The panel recommended that charges for technical malversation, graft and corruption, falsification, and perjury be filed against Duterte and two DepEd special disbursing officers, namely Gina Acosta and Edwin Fajarda.
Acosta and Fajarda had admitted during the committee hearings that they handed over at least P120 million in confidential funds in 2022 to security officers at the vice president鈥檚 behest.
The committee also sought bribery charges against Fajarda鈥檚 wife, former Education Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, for having 鈥漮ffered white envelopes containing money other than salaries to employees of DepEd.鈥�
鈥楧esignated officers鈥�
Meanwhile, the committee also noted that the OVP had 鈥渄esignated officers鈥欌�� in Duterte鈥檚 security detail who were made to handle confidential funds despite lacking the authority to do so.
Plunder charges were recommended for filing against the VPSG commander, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, and Education Undersecretary Major Gen. Nolasco Mempin for allegedly 鈥渁massing at least P50 million in public funds鈥� on top of the 鈥漨isused鈥� confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million.
A DepEd undersecretary, Analyn Sevilla, was grouped together with these officers in this particular recommendation.
In a sponsorship speech delivered on Tuesday, Chua鈥攚ho is also one of the 11 House prosecutors in Duterte鈥檚 impeachment case at the Senate鈥攏oted that she is the 鈥渙nly and first (Philippine) vice president to request excessive amounts of confidential funds.鈥�
The funds, he said, 鈥渨ere used for purposes unrelated to agency mandates鈥� and for expenses 鈥渄eemed highly irregular, unnecessary, and extravagant.鈥� /cb