Another top official of the Department of Education (DepEd) confirmed receiving cash envelopes containing P25,000 monthly during Vice President Sara Duterte’s stint at the helm of the agency.

DepEd chief accountant Rhunna Catalan told the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability on Tuesday that she received envelopes nine times from February to September last year from then DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Charry Fajarda, Duterte’s alleged trusted aide, as an “allowance from the Vice President.”

Catalan’s testimony added weight to the previous claims of her peers — ex-DepEd undersecretary Gloria Mercado and DepEd director and former bids and awards committee chairperson Resty Osias — that they received cash envelopes monthly from Fajarda allegedly upon the instruction of Duterte.

Mercado and Osias both confirmed the handout was halted in September 2023 — coinciding with the growing public scrutiny of the confidential funds linked to the Vice President, which had begun to attract widespread attention.

Former DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa, who later transferred to the OVP, also admitted receiving envelopes containing cash from both Fajarda and Duterte “occasionally.”

Catalan claimed that Fajarda “requested” her to sign the liquidation vouchers for the P112.5 million in DepEd confidential and intelligence funds, which were reportedly withdrawn as cash advances by Fajarda’s husband, Edward, who served as special disbursing officer at DepEd.

The funds in question were withdrawn via three separate checks of P37.5 million each, issued to then DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda during the first three quarters of 2023, Duterte’s first full year in office.

Catalan told the lawmakers that she granted Sunshine’s request “because it is needed as a covering letter or covering document to the liquidation documents, supporting documents.”

Hesitant at first, she admitted receiving the envelopes from Sunshine upon being assured that they did not come from the contentious confidential funds.

“At the first giving of the envelope, I honestly asked Asec Shine if it was part of the confidential funds. She answered, ‘No, this is just an allowance from the secretary.’ So I trusted her word on that,” Catalan said.

Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said that regardless of whether the doleouts were part of the confidential funds or from Duterte’s pocket, Catalan would be criminally liable for malversation of public funds or graft.