House panel to OVP officials: Attend probe or face arrest

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability subpoenaed six Office of the Vice President's (OVP) officials on Thursday following their repeated refusal to attend its probe into the alleged irregularities and mismanagement of the office's funds.

Panel chair Representative Joel Chua ordered subpoenas to be issued against Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Vice President Duterte’s chief-of-staff; Atty. Lemuel Ortonio, assistant OVP CoS; Atty. Rosalynne Sanchez, OVP Director for Administrative and Financial Services; Gina Acosta, OVP Special Disbursing Officer; Julieta Villadelrey, OVP Chief Accountant; and Edward Fajarda, former Department of Education (DepEd) Special Disbursing Officers and now with the OVP.

Chua warned that their continued defiance and evasion of the inquiry would prompt the panel to cite them in contempt or order possible arrests.

In coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Justice, Chua requested the issuance of a lookout bulletin order to ensure the officials would not evade accountability by fleeing the country.

The panel previously issued a show-cause order against the six to compel them to attend the legislative inquiry. None of the officials in question attended the recent hearing.

In a position paper submitted before the House panel, the officials deemed the hearing “unnecessary" and that its objective was "not in aid of legislation."

Further, they asserted that the required documents could be accessed and verified through reports by the Commission on Audit (CoA).

Chua, however, contended that as a "guardian of public funds," Congress has all the authority to investigate government transactions and that it's "only appropriate" to summon the employees involved.

“It also follows that non-compliance and unjustified, baseless refusal with Congressional inquiries is tantamount to a violation of the Constitution,” he added.

The House investigation follows the mounting allegations surrounding the alleged misuse of P125 million in confidential funds by the OVP, of which over P73 million was disallowed by the CoA.

The P125 million, which the OVP spent in 11 days from 21 to 31 December 2022, was part of the P221.42 million contingent fund of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s office transferred to Duterte's office as confidential funds.

The investigation is part of a broader inquiry into the OVP’s budgetary practices and the alleged questionable use of government funds. It also touched on the purported irregularities in the DepEd's funds during Duterte's stint as its secretary.