A lawmaker on Monday raised possibilities that Vice President Sara Duterte may face plunder charges over the alleged irregularities in handling confidential funds of her office and the Department of Education (DepEd).
During a hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop highlighted large, quarterly withdrawals of confidential funds, which were handed over to “security officers.”
However, the use of the funds remained unclear.
“Let me remind the public: If public funds are misused, misappropriated, or worse, diverted for personal gain, this is clearly plunder,” Acop said.
Acop revealed that from late 2022 to 2023, OVP Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta encashed PHP125 million per quarter, while DepEd’s SDO Edward Fajarda withdrew PHP37.5 million per quarter.
The SDOs testified they did not know how the funds were used once transferred to security officers.
“There seems to be a deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead the public about the handling of these funds,” Acop added.
Rep. Ramon Rodriguez criticized the distribution of confidential funds, pointing to violations of COA-DBM Joint Circular No. 2015-001, which mandates strict documentation and accountability.
He suggested the funds were abused, malversed, or possibly stolen.
Rodriguez noted that the SDOs failed to certify how the funds were used, a violation that could amount to plunder if the funds were diverted for unlawful purposes. He also pointed to fraudulent backdating of acknowledgment receipts to justify disbursements.
Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon warned of potential technical malversation, a crime that could carry a prison sentence of up to 12 years. Other lawmakers raised concerns about perjury and falsification of documents, with Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel accusing public officers of using fraudulent records.
The investigation continues, and further developments may lead to criminal charges against key officials involved.
