THE Malacañang urged on Monday, March 24, 2025, Vice President Sara Duterte to explain the alleged “bogus” names who were identified as recipients of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) confidential funds during her time as its secretary.
“We believe that VP Sara has the obligation to tell something about these, to tell something about these discoveries,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
House Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega V said names dubbed as “Team Amoy Asim” such as “Amoy Liu,” “Fernan Amuy,” and “Joug De Asim” were among the supposed recipients of the DepEd’s confidential funds from 2022 to July 2024, under Duterte.
Ortega said these people do not have any record with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), just like the other names listed as recipients of the DepEd and Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds, such as Andong Mio, Erwin Q. Ewan, Ellaine Aray, Mutya Palanca, Panglaw Quizon, Dandu Dondie Silud, Dunates Zeta, Mike Delta, Jael Zumba, Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piatos, Pia Piatos-Lim, Xiaome Ocho, Jay Kamote, Miggy Mango, Dodong S. Barok, Dodong Alcala, Dodong Bina, Dodong Bunal, and Dodong Darong.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability earlier launched an investigation on the alleged misuse of public funds by the Office of the Vice President and DepEd, to which VP Duterte served as secretary from 2022 to August 2024.
During the probe, it was noted that of the OVP’s P125 million confidential fund in 2022, P16 million was spent on payments for safehouses.
According to COA, the OVP and DepEd submitted 787 acknowledgement receipts with unnamed signatories while 302 have unreadable names of signatories in 2023.
Duterte refused to attend the House inquiry but maintained that she would answer such allegations in proper court.
The Vice President is facing an impeachment case endorsed to the Senate by the lower chamber of Congress.
Duterte is currently at the Hague in The Netherlands, where his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is detained over cases of alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)