đź“·Former Education Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil Mercado
Envelopes containing money worth P50,000 every month allegedly from Vice President Sara Duterte may have been intended to sway former Education Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil Mercado.
At the hearing of the House of Representatives committee on good government and public accountability on Wednesday, September 25, Mercado testified that she was appointed as the head of the Procuring Entity (HOPE) of DepEd in February 2023, overseeing the signing of checks for funds, which at one point reached P37.5 million.
She also revealed that Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda gave her envelopes. Mercado described the payments as an allowance for additional work, noting that her responsibilities sometimes required her to stay until midnight reviewing documents.
“Between February of 2023 to September 2023, I received a total of nine envelopes labeled HOPE, my current position at DepEd during that time. These envelopes were handed to me mostly by Assistant Secretary Sunshine M. Fajarda, which she says came directly from Vice President Duterte,” Mercado said.
“What she would typically say, as she hands the envelope, it would appear that I received this envelope by virtue of my office as HOPE. Atty. Fajarda is the wife of Edward Fajarda, who is the Special Disbursement Office,” she added.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro also asked about Mercado’s description of the payments as simply allowances, asking why other officials in the DepEd did not receive comparable envelopes.
“You did not open the envelope because you felt so uncomfortable, do you confirm? […] And the reason, Ma’am, is because you believe that that envelope is a bribe? Do you agree with me, because otherwise, you will not appreciate the job as difficult, you will not [feel] uncomfortable opening what you believe is an allowance,” Luistro said.
“It’s kind of a harsh word to use, bribe,” Mercado said.
Luistro asked whether the envelopes were “a means to influence your decision as HOPE,” Mercado answered, “Could be.”
Mercado also said that she didn’t open the envelope until after she was already out of the agency and was not given a chance for an exit call to return the envelopes. She instead donated the money to a non-government organization, who gave her a receipt as proof of the donation.
“It was very uncomfortable on my part,” she said. “I have to protect [my] name. We are self-made. I was a scholar from Grade 1 until I took my PhD. I have all reasons to protect my name,” she said.
In the affidavit, Mercado said that Fajarda had been inquiring about the bank accounts of Regional Directors and other field employees who were receiving additional payments on top of their regular salaries.
As it became clear that a bidding failure for the DepEd Computerization Program was likely in October 2023, Mercado said that former Education Assistant Secretary Atty. Reynold Munsayac approached her.
“He suggested, in the presence of three other DepEd officials who I was with that the bidders should discuss among themselves. “’Mag-usap usap na lang, para hindi masayang ang 2022 budget’, according to Atty. Munsayac. I firmly asserted that the procurement must be implemented and conducted in strict adherence with the rules,” Mercado said.
Later on, Mercado said that Duterte’s chief of staff and Office of the Vice President undersecretary Zuleika Lopez summoned her to the office, where the high-ranking official asked her to resign, to which she refused.
Furthermore, Mercado said six other Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries were asked to resign, too.
“I was informed that I should tender my resignation effective that day. I refused to resign and insisted on departing from the service through voluntary retirement,” Mercado said.
“The timing of my meeting with Ms. Zuleika struck me as more than coincidental, it gave me the impression that my candid response to Atty. Munsayac’s suggestion was the real reason behind the push to relieve me of my office. It was as if l had become an unwelcome obstacle in the procurement process, despite simply doing my job as the Hope and undersecretary for Human Resources of DepEd,” Mercado added.
Munsayac, for his part, told lawmakers the allegations were false and said that he had no reason or interest or inclination to give an illegal order in a public place filled with people he does not know.
On September 2, lawmakers criticized the DepEd’s previous administration for its failure to deliver laptops and other technical equipment in 2023, which led to low budget utilization.
It was also Rep. Luistro who questioned department officials about a Commission on Audit report on the underutilization of the DepEd’s budget, particularly concerning the DepEd Computerization Program.
In response, DepEd Director Ferdinand Pitagan confirmed that only P2.18 billion out of the allocated P11.36 billion for computers, laptops, and smart TVs—crucial for e-learning—had been spent. (TCSP)
