Four Office of the Vice President (OVP) officials have been cited in contempt for their continued refusal to attend the House panel inquiry on the confidential funds of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Among those cited in contempt were OVP Assistant Chief of Staff and Bids and Awards Committee Chair Lemuel Ortonio; Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta; Former Education Assistant Secretary Atty. Sunshine Charry Fajarda and her husband, Former Education Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda.
Antipolo Representative Romeo Acop mentioned that the said officials violated Section 11A of their House Rules, particularly by refusing to comply with the summons issued to them.
Once the contempt citation order is served the subject officials can be penalized and detained until the final report is submitted to the plenary.
Of the nine OVP officials invited to the House probe, only four appeared on today’s hearing namely Julieta Villadelrey, Kevin Tenido, Edilyn Rabago and Rosalyn Sanchez.
OVP Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez was not present at the hearing but wrote to the committee that she could not yet leave her sick relative in the United States. Lopez was invited to the next hearing to answer the lawmakers’ question.
The committee has been investigating the alleged questionable use of Vice President Sara Duterte and DepEd’s confidential funds amounting to P612M, of which P125M reportedly was used in just 11 days.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.