Duterte may face plunder raps, House critics warn

Vice President Sara Duterte and her subordinates in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) may face plunder charges over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, House lawmakers revealed during the eighth hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Monday.

Lawmakers presented findings pointing to potential violations, including graft, corruption, malversation, falsification, bribery, perjury and plunder.

“Let me remind the public of what is at stake here — it would constitute graft and corruption if public funds are misused or misappropriated, or worse, if funds are diverted to personal use or benefit. And given the amount we are talking about here, this is clearly plunder,” said Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, the panel’s vice chair.

Duterte faces scrutiny for P500 million allocated to the OVP in 2022, with an additional P125 million disbursed quarterly in 2023, alongside P112.5 million allocated to the DepEd in 2023. These funds were allegedly backed by fictitious acknowledgment receipts (ARs).

Two military officers, Colonels Raymund Dante Lachica and Dennis Nolasco, were identified as having received portions of the funds — P125 million and P37.5 million, respectively — contrary to the mandates of Joint Memorandum Circular 2015-01, which stipulates that only special disbursing officers (SDOs) should oversee such funds.

Gina Acosta and Edward Fajarda, SDOs of the OVP and DepEd, claimed they merely followed Duterte’s orders in transferring the funds. Lawmakers emphasized that this act still constituted technical malversation or plunder, as the amounts exceeded the P50 million threshold for plunder.

Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Gutierrez underscored the gravity of the alleged violations. Gutierrez said the investigation revealed an abuse of confidential funds, highlighting gaps in the circular governing their use.

“Throughout seven hearings, we have detailed some long-held suspicions: the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd were abused, malversed, or even taken,” Gutierrez said.

Panel chairperson Joel Chua called for stricter rules on the use of confidential funds and more robust oversight mechanisms.

“It is time to implement safeguards on confidential funds to prevent abuse and ensure transparency,” Chua emphasized.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is investigating Lachica and Nolasco for possible administrative liability. Lachica currently serves as the commander of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, while Nolasco was the DepEd’s designated security officer.