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NewsTranscript
00:00The camera is now being verified by the Philippine Statistics Authority
00:03if the people who signed the receipts are real
00:06from the Office of the Vice President at the Department of Education.
00:10That is after the questionable signatures of a Kokoy Villamin were heard.
00:18Marisol Abdurrahman reports.
00:21In the continuation of the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability,
00:30it turns out that not only Mary Grace Priatos,
00:32the questionable name of the person who signed the acknowledgment receipts of the Office of the Vice President,
00:38but also a Kokoy Villamin,
00:41she also signed a receipt of the Department of Education,
00:45but the signature of two ARs is different.
00:47On the left side, with black ink, that's from the OVP.
00:53On the other side is from DepEd.
00:55Can you please read the name on DepEd?
00:58It's the same, Mr. Chair.
01:00It's the same, right?
01:01Yes, Mr. Chair.
01:02It's very obvious, Mr. Chair, that not only Mary Grace Priatos,
01:06but also the questionable signature.
01:09We can also see that there are acknowledgment receipts, Mr. Chair,
01:14with the same names,
01:16with different dates,
01:18with different signatures, Mr. Chair.
01:23The judges also examined how the former DepEd Special Disbursing Officer,
01:29Eduard Fajarda, was able to disperse in many places in the country
01:32within one day on February 21, 2023,
01:36according to Congressman Royce Gutierrez.
01:38On February 21, 2023,
01:41one day after Fajarda was able to cash in P37.5 million,
01:45acknowledgment receipts came out
01:47that Fajarda was able to disperse in seven different places in the country.
01:51Malolos, Davao, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur,
01:55Makati City, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Davao City.
01:59In passing, he cashed in,
02:00and immediately the next day,
02:02he traveled to these seven places and had these seven ARs.
02:06Did this not raise a red flag of the impossibility of this occurring?
02:11Well, it does, sir.
02:12According to Congressman Royce Gutierrez,
02:15on March 15, Fajarda's disbursements reached 26
02:19in different places in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
02:23Attorney Camora, let's give him a helicopter.
02:25I don't think he'll do that in one day.
02:29So it really raises a question.
02:31How did SDO certify and say that he personally disbursed this?
02:35Camora wants to verify with the Philippine Statistics Authority
02:38if there are real people who signed the ARs.
02:42It will also be referred to the NBI and PNP to verify the signatures.
02:46Fajarda is one of the OVP officials
02:49who did not hide in the hearing despite the committee's site-in contempt.
02:53Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Sunshine Chary Fajarda,
02:57OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta,
03:00and Assistant Chief of Staff and Visa and Awards Committee Chair
03:04Lemuel Ortonio.
03:05Ortonio was again contempted by the committee
03:08and ordered to be jailed in Micutan for 10 days.
03:12Ortonio wrote that he will go to the hearing
03:14and asked to remove the contempt order against him,
03:18but he did not come.
03:20Vice President Sara Duterte did not come to the hearing,
03:23who previously said that she was just wasting her time
03:26because she was not asked to come here.
03:29Vice President Duterte previously said that she was just wasting her time
03:32because she was not asked to come here.
03:35Vice President Duterte previously said the same thing to the committee.
03:37But the committee said that they did not ask Vice President Duterte to come
03:41because she was not under oath.
03:43They also invited Vice President Duterte several times.
03:47Vice President Duterte came to the hearing of Vice President Duterte
03:50and Vice President Duterte.
03:51I am purely handling, as I mentioned, operational concerns.
03:56Although I would wish to answer really respectfully
04:00as regards the matter of the confidential expenses,
04:02it is something that I have not really been privy to from the very beginning.
04:08The Commission of Audit came out of the hearing that was written by López
04:12to say that the Supreme Court should not follow the audit reports
04:18regarding the confidential funds of the OVP.
04:20She said that Vice President Sara Duterte knows about this.
04:24That letter does not in any way seek to undermine the power of Congress.
04:30It is simply a request to the Commission of Audit
04:34given that there is still an ongoing audit investigation.
04:40That's why we requested that since the audit is not yet completed,
04:46it is not right to give such documents first.
04:51But Attorney López, that is not a call for you to make.
04:56Right?
04:57Your Honor, it was...
04:58Precisely because you are the agency that is being investigated.
05:02You're asking another agency not to cooperate with Congress
05:07when an ongoing investigation is happening.
05:11I truly apologize if there was something in that letter
05:19that slighted you on a personal note.
05:22It was not my intention, Your Honor.
05:24And I would like to request to the members of the Honorable Committee
05:28to lift that contempt order or to reconsider and grant my request,
05:35Your Honor, not to cite me in contempt.
05:37We will have the next meeting on November 25, Mr. Chair.
05:42So I move now until November 25.
05:46Which is on Monday.
05:47Yeah.
05:48May we request the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrange a room?
05:54Here in the vicinity of the House of Representatives.
06:25It's sufficient though, and they didn't accept it.
06:27So they didn't say anything.
06:29They didn't even try to make an affidavit.
06:33So they just need to be beaten, right?
06:35They just need to be beaten, right?
06:37They just need to be beaten.
06:39They just need to be beaten.
06:41I just want to ask,
06:43are you going to attend the next hearing?
06:47Well, it remains to be seen, sir.
06:50As of now, on a case-to-case basis,
06:52it depends on who is the real invitation.
06:56Marisol Abdurrahman reporting for JMA Integrated News.