Michael Poa (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Quad-comm media, Facebook)

Michael Poa--the only person with an official connection to Vice President Sara Duterte who had consistently attended the House panel inquiry on the issue of confidential fund misuse--told congressmen Tuesday, Nov. 5 that he's no longer with the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

“I would like to inform the Honorable Committee that I am no longer connected with the [OVP]. Hindi na po ako (I'm no longer)...Yung consultancy contract ko po was already pre-terminated, your honor (My consultancy was already pre-terminated),” Poa told the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. 

Poa was the erstwhile OVP spokesman. He also served as Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary, chief of staff, and spokesman during Duterte's tenure as agency secretary 

It was during the previous good government panel hearing last Oct. 17 when Poa admitted that the Vice President and DepEd Senior Disbursing Officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda had direct control over how the agency's confidential funds were used.

But now, Poa says he longer has any links with the lady official.

The House panel chaired by Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua learned about this even as the solons grew frustrated with the continued absence of the OVP officials invited to the inquiry in aid of legislation. 

The Chua panel is investigating the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to offices under Vice President Duterte’s leadership. Tuesday was its fourth hearing on the subject.

Poa was asked if some of the OVP officials and previous DepEd officers who worked for Duterte and were being subpoenaed by the committee were still connected to the OVP.

“Your Honor, when I was still there, yes, they were connected with the OVP. Although as of today, hindi ko na po talaga masabi factually if they are still connected or not. I would assume, because of the position paper with the letterhead, that they're still connected,” answered Poa.

“But I cannot confirm that because nagpaalam po ako na umalis prior pa po to the previous hearing that we had,” he added.

(I told them in advance that I would be leaving even prior to the previous hearing that we had.)

READ THIS:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/17/vp-duterte-had-direct-control-of-dep-ed-s-ci-fs

These officials include OVP chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, Lemuel Ortonio, Atty. Rosalynne Sanchez, Julieta Villadelrey, Gina Acosta, Atty. Sunshine Fajarda and Edward Fajarda.

Poa had previously outlined to the committee that, as a spokesperson, he was responsible for addressing media queries but had no involvement in the decision-making processes around confidential fund disbursements. 

His statements drew attention to the concentration of authority around sensitive financial resources, underscoring the need for broader oversight to prevent potential misuse.

Poa’s testimony has underscored the challenges of ensuring accountability for confidential funds within government departments.