VP Sara Duterte —Lyn Rillon Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. —HREP Picture
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte and different former officers of the Division of Training (DepEd) might face plunder expenses.
That is except they might be capable of clarify and account for the way P112.5 million in confidential funds allotted to the company was spent throughout the former schooling secretary’s tenure.
Vice President Duterte was reminded by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. on Sunday that she was not immune from fits and inspired Duterte to clarify the “questionable” disbursement of the Deped’s confidential funds.
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The Home of Representatives’ panel on good authorities and public accountability, which is chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, might suggest the submitting of plunder expenses towards Duterte and several other DepEd officers concerned within the alleged misuse of the company’s P112.5 million confidential funds, mentioned Gonzales.
The funds in query have been a part of the P150 million allotted to the DepEd in 2023 purportedly to be used in applications involving crime and abuse prevention in faculties, anti-extremism efforts and counterinsurgency.
Gonzales maintained the testimony of useful resource individuals within the committee’s Oct. 17 listening to opened the previous schooling secretary and her officers to attainable plunder expenses.
He famous that it was proven throughout the inquiry that the P112.5-million confidential funds have been withdrawn by means of three separate checks, every value P37.5 million, issued to DepEd particular disbursing officer Edward Fajarda for the primary three quarters of 2023.
Labeled as MOOE
The checks have been supposedly encashed by Fajarda on the Land Financial institution of the Philippines and disbursed with the vouchers labeled as “Upkeep and Different Working Bills (MOOE)” and never as confidential funds.
Gonzales mentioned because it’s underneath MOOE and never labeled confidential funds, it raised severe considerations because it indicated an absence of transparency and attainable misuse of public funds.
The lawmaker from Pampanga confused in Filipino: “That is taxpayers’ cash and we’d like to verify it was correctly used.”
“If the Vice President, who headed the company at the moment, can’t present a transparent and ample rationalization on how the funds have been used, it’s our accountability to take authorized motion together with the submitting of plunder expenses to guard the general public curiosity,” Gonzales mentioned, noting that the brink for plunder is at P50 million.
He added clarifications made by authorized and constitutional specialists who’ve mentioned that whereas a sitting Vice President was impeachable, the nation’s second highest official didn’t get pleasure from immunity from swimsuit and was open to prison expenses whereas in workplace.
Money advances
Through the Oct. 17 panel listening to, schooling undersecretary for finance Annalyn Sevilla confirmed that three P37.5-million checks for confidential funds have been issued to and subsequently encashed as money advances by Fajarda, being the company’s particular disbursing officer.
Sevilla mentioned that other than encashing the checks, Fajarda was additionally chargeable for transporting the funds.
Fajarda, who has been summoned by the panel, is but to look earlier than the committee whereas Duterte has not responded to allegations of the alleged misuse of confidential funds when she was DepEd chief from July 2022 to July this 12 months.
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