House of Representatives Cites 4 OVP Officials in Contempt
OVP – Four officials from the Office of the Vice President have been cited in contempt by the House of Representatives for repeatedly failing to attend a panel inquiry into the OVP and the Department of Education’s budget usage during Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure.
The officials—Lemeul Ortonio, Gina Acosto, Sunshine Fajarda, and Eduard Fajarda—had ignored the committee’s invitations three times and a subpoena ad testificandum five times. House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez motioned for the contempt order during a hearing on Monday, noting that the committee had already allowed ample time for their appearance.
In addition to the contempt order, the four officials are subject to detention at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. Immigration authorities have also issued an immigration lookout bulletin to prevent them from leaving the country due to their refusal to attend the inquiry.
The officials were among seven OVP staff members who previously submitted a position paper stating they would not attend the inquiry. In the document, they claimed the right to decline the invitation, as they were invited as resource persons and not as accused individuals. They referred to the Supreme Court ruling in the Calida v. Trillanes case, which allows individuals to respectfully refuse participation in a legislative inquiry, emphasizing that such invitations are voluntary.
The inquiry was focused on how the OVP and the Department of Education used their budgets under Duterte’s tenure, and the committee had called the officials to provide insight. However, their consistent refusal to attend has led to their contempt citation, sparking further controversy around the investigation.
Meanwhile, “cited in contempt” refers to a formal declaration by a legislative body or court that someone has disrespected or failed to comply with its orders, such as ignoring subpoenas or refusing to testify.
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