The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Monday cited four officials from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for contempt and ordered their detention for repeatedly defying summonses.
The four OVP officials—Lemuel Ortonio, Gina Acosta, Sunshine Fajarda, and Edward Fajarda—have been subpoenaed multiple times to shed light on the alleged mishandling of government funds by Vice President Sara Duterte.
Their non-attendance at Monday’s hearing was attributed to them being on official travel.
The panel, chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, cited the officials for contempt following a motion by Quezon 2nd District Rep. David Suarez, who underscored their “continued defiance” by refusing to appear before lawmakers.
The committee said that the officials’ out-of-town assignments appeared to be a coordinated effort to avoid the hearings, implying “malicious intent.”
However, in a press conference in Bacolod City, Duterte firmly denied allegations that there was malicious intent behind the issuance of travel orders to key members of her staff, resulting in their non-appearance at the House.
“That is not true. There is no malice in that. The OVP’s anniversary is on November 15. I myself am not at the central office. Because there are ongoing Thanksgiving activities in the various satellite offices. The OVP is busy right now, Duterte explained in a mixture of Filipino and English.
Duterte stood by her office’s decision to allow her staff to travel despite being summoned to the House, asserting that the hearings are “politically motivated” anyway.
“They are really trying to find proof of wrong-doing at their hearings, but up to now they haven’t found any,” the Vice President said.
Duterte also denied that she is the subject of a supposed political plot code-named “Save the Queen,” supposedly intended to make her the next president of the Philippines.
The alleged plot was revealed by Bureau of Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban at a House Quad Committee hearing last week, who said the killings perpetrated by the “Davao mafia” were all to secure an unnamed “queen’s” ascension to the presidency in 2028.
“It’s so obvious. Our [alleged] operation is supposedly named ‘Save the Queen?’ Only a stupid operator would choose a [code] name that reveals the objective,” she said in Filipino.
Four other OVP officials managed to attend Monday’s hearing: Administrative and Financial Services Director Rosalynne Sanchez, Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey, Budget Division Chief Edelyn Rabago, and Chief Administrative Officer Kelvin Gerome Teñido.
The committee withheld action on OVP Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, who left the country on November 4, a day before her subpoenaed appearance.
Lopez submitted a letter explaining she had traveled to the United States to accompany her ailing aunt for intensive medical care, citing her legal designation as caretaker.
Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez questioned Lopez’s explanation, calling it a “clear evasion” and urging validation of her claim.
“The testimony of Ms. Zuleika Lopez is crucial. If we allow her excuse, other resource persons might follow,” he warned, adding, “They can run, but they cannot hide anymore.”
Despite these concerns, the committee approved Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop’s motion to reissue a subpoena to Lopez, citing “humanitarian considerations.”
During the hearing, the OVP’s chief accountant confirmed that the P500 million in confidential funds allocated to Duterte is an unprecedented amount for the country’s second-highest officer.
The acknowledgment came as Deputy Speaker Suarez questioned Villadelrey, who has served since 1990 under multiple vice presidents, about the notable increase in confidential funds under Duterte’s administration.
“Since Vice President Laurel’s time, this is the first instance that the OVP has been granted such a significant amount in confidential funds, correct?” Suarez asked Villadelrey, referring to her tenure beginning with the late Vice President Salvador Laurel.
“As I recall, your honor, that is correct,” Villadelrey responded.
Meanwhile, an uninvited OVP official showed up before the House panel but was dismissed for refusing to take the oath of honesty.
Emily Torrentira, Legal Affairs Department chief of OVP is not among seven being sought by the House to explain suspiscious audit findings in the use of the P625-million OVP and DepEd confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs).
However, Sheryl Cristine Lagrosas, committee secretary and a CPA lawyer, informed the panel that the OVP chief lawyer refused to take the usual oath “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” which is given to resource persons and witnesses.
This prompted Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano to ask: “May I ask the good attorney, what is your role in this, you were not invited but you are present in today’s hearing but [refuse to] take your oath? Why? What is your presence (here about)?”
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “House Blue Ribbon panel cites 4 OVP execs in contempt.”
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