House panel to invite VP Sara in 'misused' funds probe

A panel in the House of Representatives will invite Vice President Sara Duterte to its upcoming probe into the alleged mismanagement of funds of her office, including the Department of Education which she headed for nearly two years, a House leader said Tuesday. 

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, one of Duterte’s staunchest critics, will kick off its investigation tomorrow, Wednesday. 

While Duterte’s attendance is crucial to the investigation, House Assistant Majority Leader Jefferson Khonghun said issuing a subpoena will not be an option.

“We cannot do that because we extend courtesy to the Office of the Vice President. Perhaps the only thing we can do is invite her,” Khonghun said in an interview.

“It is up to her whether he will attend or not, but it is also very important, of course, that she has to explain how she handled and managed the Department of Education and why the quality of education plunged during her tenure,” he added. 

Aside from the mismanagement of OVP funds, the investigation will be centered on DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) unutilized funds in 2023 amounting to over P2 billion and the agency’s failure to fill 46,000 positions in the face of teachers’ shortage.

The lawmaker lamented that the deficiencies in the DRRM had put the lives of students in peril, especially those in Mindanao who were hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.

“The [temporary learning] shelter we built for the students, because of the earthquake had cracks. The problem is that they are still forced to use the old buildings with cracks due to substandard construction as temporary shelters,” Khonghun said.

In 2023, DepEd received P2.14 billion and P2 billion for its Disaster Preparedness and Response Program and Quick Response Fund, respectively. This was in addition to P2.24 billion DRRM Funds that reportedly remained unused from prior years at the beginning of 2023. 

Despite the availability of funds, Khonghun said the DepEd, under Duterte’s tenure, failed to ensure that proper facilities and equipment were in place to mitigate the impact of disasters and reduce risks to the lives of students, teachers, and school support staff.

"Actually, we just need to know what is the truth as to why there was this kind of deficiency during her tenure as secretary of Education,” he said. 

Duterted led the DepEd from June 2022 until her resignation on 19 June 2024.

While Duterte could skip the investigation, Khonghun said her former staff in the DepEd are required to attend and explain on her behalf.