(UPDATED) One of the seven officials from the Office of the Vice President, who were summoned by a House panel investigating the OVP’s alleged fund misuse, has left the country.

Information relayed to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability by the Bureau of Immigration, showed that Atty. Zuleika Lopez, the Chief of Staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, flew to Los Angeles, California, USA on November 4, the night before resumption of the committee hearing on November 5.

Lopez and six other OVP officials skipped the House panel hearing for the fourth time on Tuesday. 

In a position paper they signed and submitted before the committee, they said the previously issued subpoena “can no longer be legally served nor obeyed” because the October 28 hearing schedule written was cancelled.

“Service of subpoena must be proper in order not to violate the right to sufficient notice of the persons invited in a hearing,” they said.

The committee ordered the issuance of another subpoena to the seven OVP officials for the next hearing with a stern warning that the next time they fail to attend, a heavier penalty will be given.

“Hindi na nakakatuwa na makita na apat na beses nang inimbitahan ito, pang-apat na kayong hindi naka-attend. Huwag niyo naman kaming hahamunin, ang committee na ito, na mag-issue na kami ng contempt order sa inyo… If they will not come for the 5th time, then I might make a motion to hold them in contempt,” Committee Vice Chairperson and Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido Abante said.

In a statement, the Office of the Vice President confirmed Lopez’ overseas travel, but reiterated that it was personal and “unrelated to her employment with the OVP”.

“Speculations about the purpose of this travel are unfounded and unnecessary. We request to respect the privacy of the family on this difficult time,” it added.

Meantime, Atty. Michael Poa, who served as spokesperson for the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte, is no longer connected with the OVP. Poa said he parted with the OVP before the last House panel hearing on October 17.

“I am no longer connected with Office of the Vice President. ‘Yung consultancy contract ko po was already pre-terminated. Wala na rin po ako as spokesperson,” Poa told the committee on Tuesday.

“Nagpaalam po ako na umalis prior pa po to the previous hearing that we had,” he added.

Sara Duterte spokesperson leaves OVP, says contract 'pre-terminated'

RED FLAGS?

During Tuesday’s hearing, lawmakers also pointed out alleged “red flags” in the acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit to justify its confidential expenses in 2022 and 2023.

Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop said some receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit for the liquidation of its 2023 confidential expenses appeared to have similar penmanships, and used the same ink and pen, even when they were signed by different names.

“The names and signatures of different persons appear to be written with the same pen, with a distinct ink, on different dates. I think this is highly irregular. “It’s the same ink used by Asec. Lemuel Ortonio, the Assistant Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President, tama?” Acop asked COA.

“Mukha pong pareho, Mr. Chair,” COA’s Atty. Gloria Camora replied.

“‘Yung liquidation instruments ay mali-mali eh. Kaya sigurado ak,o hindi napunta sa tama rin ang pondo. There are only two things na pinuntahan ‘yung pondo: nagamit sa iba o ibinulsa,” Acop concluded.

Zambales 1st District Representative Jefferson Khonghun, meanwhile, flagged the absence of date or period covered in some acknowledgment receipts.

“Napakahirap po patunayan kung talagang 2022 nga po ba ginagastos o ginamit itong mga ARs na isinubmit ng OVP dahil wala nga po itong date. Ano po ba yung nakapaloob sa acknowledgment receipt na ito? Wala rin po itong period covered,” he said.

“Allow me to point out a pattern that we found out in the documents evidencing payment for December of 2022. There is a very real possibility that the confidential funds were released in batches daily na parang routine na ito o robotic pa. Parang scripted ang pag-release ng mga pondong ito,” Khonghun added.

1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez also questioned the 158 acknowledgment receipts dated 2023, but were submitted to justify the OVP’s 2022 confidential expenses. COA said the OVP explained that they were “clerical or typographical errors”.

“They said they have inadvertently contained clerical or typographical errors indicating 2023 instead of 2022 confidential activities, which are usually conducted discreetly and completed within a short period of time, and in addition to the lack of attention to details of personnel attending to voluminous papers from several individuals, some data and acknowledgement receipts submitted as proof of transactions may have been missed,” Camora told the panel

“I don't think this was a mistake that was committed in December 2022. This was a mistake that was committed after the fact, after the AOM, and after the notice of suspension when they were rushing to comply with mga butas na nahanap ng COA,” Gutierrez said.

“More likely, this was the same mistake committed by perhaps a few persons. Which raises the question, are these acknowledgement receipts spurious? Are they bogus? Are they false?” he asked.

Vice President Duterte previously denied her office misused public funds, and gave assurances her office would fully cooperate with COA’s audit.