November 5, 2024

P10.4M Confidential fund nawawala… VP SARA SWAK SA ASUNTO – REP. LUISTRO

NANINIWALA si Batangas Rep, Gerville Luistro na sapat na ang mga ebidensyang nakalap ng House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability upang mapagharap si Vice President Sara Duterte ng kasong malversation, kaugnay ng iregularidad sa paggamit nito ng confidential funds ng Department of Education (DepEd).

Sa pagdinig ngayong Martes ng, sinilip ni Luistro ang paggamit ng confidential fund ng DepEd laban sa insurhensiya at mayroon umanong nawawalang P10.4 milyon, bukod pa sa ibang natuklasang iregularidad.

So, where is this amount now? In conclusion, I wish to believe that the confidential fund of the Department of Education was not properly recorded at its best, or misspent or misappropriated at its worst,” ani Luistro.

Ayon kay Lusitro, hindi malinaw ang pagkakagastos sa P15.5 milyong halaga ng confidential fund ng DepEd batay sa mga isinumite nitong dokumento sa Commission on Audit (COA).

“What is consistent with respect to their location is equivalent only to the amount of P4.2 million. So there remains also an unexplained amount of P10.4 million,” sabi ni Luistro.

Sinilip din ni Luistro kung bakit DepEd ang nagsasabi sa mga national security agency ng gobyerno kung saan magsasagawa ng mga anti-insurgency program.

“It is the humble submission of this representation that there is a prima facie case of malversation and, in addition, an apparent case of breach of public trust. For us to be able to know whether there is malversation, four elements must be present,” sabi ni Luistro.

Paliwanag ni Luistro, mayroong apat na elemento ang malversation — una, ang sangkot ay dapat isang public official; ikalawa, ito ang custodian ng pondo; ikatlo, dapat ay pondo ng publiko ang sangkot; at ang ika-apat, dapat ay hindi ginamit ng tama ang pondo.

“For the information of the public, the malversation can be done intentionally. We call it ‘dolo’, which is with criminal intent. And it can be done as well by negligence. We call it ‘culpa’ or by negligence. In other words, with or without criminal intent,” ani Luistro.

“If the four elements are present, which I believe they are, there is prima facie case of malversation. With respect to the breach of public trust, this is violation of public’s confidence in a public officer’s ability to serve with integrity, impartiality and in accordance with law,” dagdag pa nito.

“Public trust is mandated by no less than the fundamental law of the land,” giit ni Luistro.