Representative Zia Alonto Adiong attends the House Special Committee on Senior Citizens on September 14, 2022 for its organizational meeting and approval of its Internal Rules of Procedure. Press and Public Affairs Bureau handout/File

MANILA — A lawmaker flagged on Wednesday Acknowledgment Receipts (ARs) for the confidential expenses of two offices led by Vice President Sara Duterte in 2023, which were supposedly signed by the same person but had "different" signatures and penmanship.

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House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao Del Sur said the receipts were among more than 4,000 ARs supposedly submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education — led by Duterte until July — to justify their confidential expenses.

Adiong asserted it is highly unlikely that two individuals with the same name signed the receipts in question, prompting him to suspect that there may have been irregularities in the use of government funds in the two offices. 

Duterte previously denied there was misuse of public funds in her office.

"How unlikely would that be, two persons with the same name, bearing the same spellings, with the same last name and first names, possible po ba ‘yan (Is that possible)?” Adiong asked.

“Medyo likely less possible,” COA’s Gloria Camora, a lawyer, replied.

“It’s highly unlikely! Kung titingnan ninyo po ba diyan yung sulat magkapareho?” Adiong inquired further.

(If you look at them, is the handwriting the same?)

“Hindi po (No),” Camora responded.

Adiong said the suspicious acknowledgement receipts may just be "the tip of the iceberg" of potential abuse "in so far as the utilization of confidential funds is concerned of both the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President."

The committee will consult handwriting experts from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to help address the questions that lawmaker raised on the acknowledgement receipts, including ones that had different names but similar penmanship.

The panel on Wednesday also decided to refer the questionable ARs to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to help verify the identity of individuals who signed them, including a certain “Mary Grace Piattos”, a name that may have been made up. 

RED FLAG

At least two congressmen and a COA officer saw a “red flag” in the disbursement of DepEd’s confidential funds in the first quarter of 2023, after 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said receipts showed disbursements made in at least a dozen provinces in the country in a single day.

Gutierrez pointed out it would be “physical impossible” for then DepEd Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda to be in several provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the same day.

“It looks like from north to south, tip to tip ito ng Pilipinas... Let’s give him a helicopter, I don’t think he’ll do that in one day... Did this not raise a red flag of the impossibility of this occuring?” Gutierrez asked.

“Well, it does, sir. Although during our review, somehow, we just accepted the acknowledgment receipts,” Camora replied.

“Pinapatawa ang taumbayan ng Office of the Vice President na nagagawa ito... Kahit na common sense i-apply n’yo dyan. Talagang imposible,” ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro said.

(The Office of the Vice President is playing a joke. Even if you just apply common sense, that is really impossible)

“We are thankful to the committee for pointing these out to us, since for us naman po as auditors, we presume this as ‘yung regular. But since these things have been pointed out, I think we will be basing our reviews na on what we have discussed in this hearing,” Camora told the panel.

'NO COMMENT' 

Duterte, in a press conference on Wednesday, refused to comment on House members' observations, saying not all receipts and auditing documents go through her office. 

She gave the statement in a chance interview when asked about a certain “Mary Grace Piattos”, a name that some lawmakers said seems to have been taken from a cafe and a brand of chips.

“I have no comment on that because I have not seen the acknowledgment receipt na kanilang sinasabi because basically lahat ng documents hindi dumadaan sa akin (I have not seen the documents they are talking about),” Duterte said. 

“Hindi ako maka-comment lalo na hindi namin alam kung paano prinoseso ang pagbigay ng copies ng ARs or ng submissions namin sa COA to the House of Representatives, and sino nagha-handle nung documents,” she added. 

(I cannot comment especially since I don't know how the copies of the ARs or our submissions to the COA were transmitted to the House of Reprsentatives, or who is handling these documents)

CONTEMPT 

During the hearing, OVP Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio was cited in contempt anew by the House panel, over his “continued defiance” of the committee’s order to attend hearings, which it viewed as “a sign of disrespect”.

He was ordered detained at a prison in Bicutan for 10 days.

OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, who attended Wednesday’s hearing, told the panel that she had not seen Ortonio since returning to work on Tuesday, and that based on her understanding, he is on official travel.

“I have not seen any valid reason for Mr. Ortonio not to attend today’s hearing. In fact, he has stated that he is aware that a contempt order and an arrest order were issued against him. He is requesting that these orders be lifted for him to proceed in the next committee hearing,” House Assistant Majority Leader Raul Angelo Bongalon of AKO BICOL Party-List said.

He then moved to have Ortonio cited for contempt for "continued defiance of a lawful order of this committee."

Congress has limited contempt powers when conducting its inquiries in aid of legislation or in the exercise of its oversight function.

'UNCOMMON'

Three other officials have continued to skip the House panel hearings:

Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta

Former DepEd Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda

Former DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, Edward's wife 

• OVP chief of staff confirms letter asking COA to not submit documents on confidential funds audit

OVP officials said they are also on official travel, but when asked about their location, did not give specifics.

“Regular ba o irregular ‘yung travel authority na yan… without dates, without the specific place?” ABANG LINGKOD Party-List Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano asked.

“It’s not common. This is the first time,” OVP Director Rosalynne Sanchez acknowledged.

“Mr. Chair, this is beyond disrespect to the committee,” said House Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon, He said the officials seemed to be making a point of skipping the hearing, who also said the officials seemed to be making a point of skipping the hearings.

Adiong said he also suspects there appears to be a “deliberate attempt to frustrate” the committee.

Paduano warned that “undue interference” of a scheduled committee hearing could warrant a contempt citation. 

Suarez urged the panel to look into possible administrative sanctions against government personnel who continue to defy the invitations, subpoenas and contempt orders issued by the House committee. 

Vice President Duterte also did not attend the Wednesday hearing, despite an invitation she personally received last November 13. 

Duterte explained that when she last attended the hearing, she was not asked a single question by the panel. 

Chua previously said it was because Duterte refused to take an oath to tell the truth, but that the panel will accord her due courtesy.

Lopez, who finally appeared before the House panel on Wednesday, denied having knowledge of the OVP’s utilization of its confidential expenses.

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