Congressman hits OVP execs
A Philippine congressman has criticized officials from the Office of the Vice President for their inability to account for confidential funds during impeachment proceedings. Witnesses claimed they lacked knowledge of how the funds were used, leading to accusations of negligence and blind loyalty.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing political tensions and accountability issues regarding the use of public funds within the Philippine government.
MANILA, Philippines - A leader in the House of Representatives has pointed to a possible staffing problem and accountability failure inside the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as issues surrounding its use of confidential funds continue to unravel before the Senate impeachment court.
Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V cited the repeated claims by OVP officials that they could not remember or did not know crucial details of the confidential funds used by the office.
"Maybe they had problem with HR because they seemed to have forgotten everything. They knew nothing," he said.
Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and OVP Assistant Secretary and assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio were both declared hostile prosecution witnesses as the impeachment court examined how confidential funds were requested, released, implemented and liquidated under Duterte.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in