Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILABULLETIN)

Eduard Fajarda--a former official of the Department of Education (DepEd)-turned-executive in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has practically admitted distributing cash to select education officials, allegedly under the direct orders of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House Assistant Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, in his interpellation during the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing Monday night, Nov. 25, questioned former DepEd Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Fajarda about the distribution of cash envelopes to DepEd officials where the latter admitted to carrying out instructions from the Vice President. 

“Actually po, I was instructed by VP Sara,” Fajarda said when asked why he solicited personal bank account details from DepEd officials. 

He clarified that the instructions came directly from Duterte, not through intermediaries, and that the funds were handed to him by Duterte herself.

The panel inquiry revealed that the envelopes were reportedly distributed to DepEd superintendents, though not all received them, according to Fajarda. He noted that recipients were selected based on bank account details. 

“During po kasi sa pag-iikot ni VP Sara, nakita po niya dun yung superintendent gumagastos ng sarili nilang pera sa office field work nila,” he added.

(When VP Sara made her rounds, she saw that the superintendents spend their own money for their field work.)

Vice President Duterte served as DepEd secretary from June 30, 2022 to July 19, 2024.

However, Acidre confronted Fajarda with screenshots and affidavits,  which suggested that a broader group of DepEd officials, particularly in Region 7, had been contacted. 

“Kung titignan mo sa screenshot, yung lahat po ng superintendent sa Region 7 ay inyo pong kinontak at hiningan. Ibig sabihin silang lahat po nabigyan?” Acidre asked.

(If you look at the screenshot, it appeared that you contacted all the superintendents in Region 7. Does this mean that everybody was given money?)

Fajarda responded, “Actually, hindi ko kilala lahat ng superintendent. Basta ang alam ko lang po hindi po lahat.”

(Actually I don't know all of the superintendent. All I know is, not all received envelopes.)

The money’s origin became a focal point of the questioning. When asked where the funds came from, Fajarda bared, “Binibigay ‘po yun sa akin ni VP Sara (VP Sara gave it to me)."

To the House panel--which had been probing the alleged misuse of P612.5 million confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in the OVP and DepEd)--this confirmed that the Vice President had personal knowledge of the cash distribution.

This admission follows similar revelations from four other former DepEd officials – former Undersecretary Gloria Mercado, Chief Accountant Rhunna Catalan, former Bids and Awards Committee Chairperson Resty Osias and former Undersecretary and Vice President spokesperson Michael Poa – who also admitted to receiving envelopes from Duterte. 

Acidre underscored this pattern during the hearing, and noted the consistent testimonies from multiple officials about the distribution of envelopes.

The hearing also highlighted irregularities in the distribution process. Fajarda admitted that cash was sent directly to the personal accounts of certain DepEd officials, thus bypassing official DepEd channels. 

Fajarda defended the selective distribution of funds. He noted the Vice President’s observation that some superintendents were using their personal money for office-related expenses. 

However, Acidre pointed out the lack of consistency in the process and raised concerns about the potential misuse of funds.

In light of the admissions, Acidre concluded that further investigations would likely yield similar responses from DepEd superintendents and regional directors.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Fajarda told the deputy majority leader when asked if he comsidered the nature of the case distribution as irregular and selective.