House panel to end OVP, DepEd confi funds probe on Monday

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability will conclude its investigation into the use of confidential funds by Vice  President Sara Duterte’s offices on Monday, Manila 3rd District  Representative Joel Chua announced.

Committee Chair Chua explained that ending the probe would allow the Armed Forces of the  Philippines (AFP) to conduct its investigation into allegations that two military officers received portions of the confidential funds from  Duterte's offices.

“Para makapigbay ng linaw dito and to give way to the investigation, hahayaan na namin ang AFP na mag conduct ng kanilang sariling imbestigasyon  pagdating po dito,” Chua said in an interview with Super Radyo DzBB on  Sunday.

(To clarify this issue and to give way to the AFP's investigation, we will let the AFP conduct its probe on this matter.)

Chua also noted that the decision to wrap up the inquiry was partly due to the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President.

“May mga nag fa-file na rin ng impeachment sa ating Bise Presidente kaya  minarapat po namin na i-wrap up na po ito ng sa ganoon ay hindi na po ito  magamit dahil we have to be remided na ang purpose talaga nitong  ginagawa naming imbestigasyon ay in aid of legislation,” Chua said.

(Impeachment complaints are already being filed against the Vice President, so we decided to conclude the investigation to avoid it being used for other purposes. We must remember that this probe is in aid of legislation.)

Should the impeachment complaints progress, the House Committee on Justice would take over the investigation, Chua added.

Two impeachment complaints were filed against Duterte. Advocacy groups filed the first complaint, which was endorsed by Akbayan Party-list  Representative Perci Cendaña. The second was submitted by the Makabayan bloc.

Legislative Measures

Monday’s hearing would be an open session attended only by panel members, focusing on legislative measures to address issues surrounding confidential funds.

Chua highlighted plans to tighten requirements for appointing special disbursing officers (SDOs).

“Isa sa mga ipapasa naming batas ay nag  pagpapahigpit sa mag requirements sa SDO (special disbursing officers).  Hindi pupwedeng basta-basta ka maging SDO kasi ito’y napakabigat na  responsibilidad,” Chua said.

(One proposed measure will implement stricter requirements for SDO appointments. Being an SDO is a significant responsibility.)

The panel is also pushing for stricter limitations on confidential funds,  restricting them to agencies involved in intelligence, national security, and peace and order.

“Dapat limitado lamang ang mga ahensya o departamento na biibigyan ng  confidential funds. Lalong-lalo na yung mga ahensya o departamento na  walang kinalaman sa intelligence gathering, national security, at peace  and order,” Chua said.

He  added, “Isa sa recommendations namin ay kapag ang confidential funds ay  nabigyan ng notice of disallowance, mawawala na yung confidentiality  nature ng pondo at puwede na ito usisain ng mabuti.”

(One of our  recommendations is that when a confidential fund receives a notice of  disallowance, it should lose its confidential status, allowing for  thorough scrutiny.)

But in the end, Chua believed that there was something irregular in the way the Vice President's confidential funds had been utilized.

"Kung ito poy talaga nagamit sa tama, dapat sa umpisa pa lang hindi na nagtago eh. Bakit kinailangan i-contempt sila?" asked the House committee's chairman in Jonathan Andal's Sunday 24 Oras Weekend report.

According to the latest information, the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President were with the House of Representative's Office of the Secretary General.

These would be forwarded to the Office of the House Speaker before being presented to the plenary and then referred to the House Justice Committee.

However, Justice Committee Vice Chair Keith Flores doubted whether Congress had enough time to process the impeachment complaints, noting that the 19th Congress would end in June.

In response, the Makabayan bloc launched a signature campaign aiming to secure the support of at least 106 House members. If successful, the impeachment could bypass the lengthy House process and proceed directly to the Senate.

But Flores said he was unaware of such efforts.

"Wala akong alam na nangangampanya to secure the signatures," said the representative. — DVM, GMA Integrated News