VICE President Sara Duterte has urged Congress to refrain from using witnesses that have no credibility or have questionable motives in its inquiries.
Duterte specifically named former Department of Education undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, who testified on Wednesday at a hearing of the House Good Government and Public Accountability.
Mercado alleged that she received a total of P450,000 from February to September 2023 in P50,000 increments as the head of procuring entity (HoPE) from former DepEd assistant secretary Sunshine Cherry Fajarda, Duterte's erstwhile chief of staff.
She was asked to resign by OVP Chief of Staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez in October, weeks after Lopez discussed with another former DepEd official, Reynold Munsayac, the bidding for the DepEd's computerization program.
In a statement, Duterte said she believes that Mercado is being used as a part of a "political machinery" that is out to discredit her, using House members to urge the public to believe Mercado and forget that she was "disgruntled" when she left her position.
She reiterated that Mercado asked for P16 million for a private company, and gave a teaching item for an individual in the Eastern Visayas region, making that individual an executive assistant at the DepEd Central Office,
Duterte also said that Mercado was the cause of delay in the appointment of an executive director in the Teacher Education Council, as evidenced by the minutes of the meeting of the council.
She said aside from the corruption cases Mercado faces, she is known to denigrate her colleagues, including fellow DepEd officials.
Duterte urged Congress to think twice before hearing witnesses against her, since they could destroy the lives and the future of innocent employees of the DepEd and their families.
Reacting to Duterte's statement, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, who authored the privilege speech that was the basis for the hearings of the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability, said he believes Mercado to be a "trustworthy witness" because of her long government service.
"Wala syang ibang kaso, ibang allegation. She [has been in] 40 years in service, may medal, may doctorate degree and dean sya ng DAP (Development Academy of the Philippines), and first time na inaccuse ng ganyan, Why now only? Dapat pag-alis nya as [undersecretary], finilan na sya ng graft memorandum. ([Mercado] does not have any other cases or allegations. She has worked for 40 years in service. She has a medal and a doctorate degree and became a dean at the DAP and she was later accused for the first time? Why now only? She should have filed a graft memorandum the time she left as undersecretary)," Valeriano told The Manila Times in a phone interview.
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