Office of the Vice President Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta is rushed to the hospital after appearing before lawmakers at the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing on November 25, 2024. Acosta was taken to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Tuesday granted furlough to four individuals linked to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), who were previously cited in contempt. 

The following, some of whom previously worked with Vice President Sara Duterte, were granted furlough following their “voluntary” appearance in Monday’s hearing on the OVP’s use of confidential funds. 

- Lemuel Ortonio, OVP assistant chief of staff
- Sunshine Fajarda, former DepEd assistant secretary
- Gina Acosta, OVP special disbursing officer
- Edward Fajarda, former DepEd special disbursing officer (SDO)

They were granted furlough “with the commitment that they would be present in the next hearing”, said Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Paduano. 

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Ortonio thanked the lawmakers for this. 

“Part of this would be the commitment in attending the succeeding hearings,” he said. 

Manila Third District Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the committee, told reporters this did not mean the contempt order for the four individuals was already lifted. 

“Allowed silang lumabas, parang temporarily lifted yung [contempt] pero hindi officially lifted. So parang briefly, with the commitment na sa Friday, aattend sila,” Chua said. 

“Mukha namang sincere naman sila sa kanilang commitment  kaya pinagbigyan natin sila,” he said. 

2ND OVP OFFICIAL RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

Past 6 p.m. on Monday, Gina Acosta, the OVP’s special disbursing officer, was seen being attended to by medical personnel.

Another OVP official rushed to hospital from House panel probe

She was later brought out through a wheelchair and loaded to an ambulance.

Chua said Acosta had high blood pressure and was undergoing checkup at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center. 

Her attendance in the House hearing was still uncertain, according to the lawmaker. 

“Hindi ko masasagot yan. Siyempre we would have to get the medical bulletin,” he said. 

Duterte’s House-detained chief of staff Zuleika Lopez last week was also rushed to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City after she experienced bouts of vomiting and fainting spells when she learned that lawmakers had ordered her transfer to the Correctional Institute for Women. 

Following the plan to transfer Lopez to the women’s prison, Duterte on Saturday morning went online to accuse various government officials of corruption and Speaker Martin Romualdez of wanting her dead. She also said she had arranged for Romualdez, the President, and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to be killed if that happens.

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Her outburst has prompted an investigation by security agencies, with Marcos Jr. saying that he would not condone her threat. The Department of Justice said it would also issue a subpoena to Duterte and give her 5 days to explain herself before investigators.

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