The House Committee on Justice has issued a subpoena to secure envelopes allegedly containing cash received by a former head of procuring entity (HOPE) of the Department of Education (DepEd), as part of its continuing impeachment proceedings.
The subpoena covers envelopes and related documents earlier turned over by former Education Undersecretary Gloria Mercado to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability in September 2024. Justice panel leaders have directed Marivic Pareja, director of the House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service, to present the materials once hearings resume on April 14.
During earlier testimony, Mercado said she received nine envelopes between February and September 2023 while serving in her then-role at DepEd.
She identified the items as being labeled “HOPE” and said these were handed to her mostly by Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda.
“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.
She further stated that Fajarda, wife of Special Disbursement Office official Edward Fajarda, would often describe the envelopes as being delivered “by virtue of my office as HOPE.”
Mercado also recounted that she was asked by Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff at the Office of the Vice President, to resign following a review of procurement plans for DepEd’s computerization program.
In a separate hearing in October 2024, former DepEd Bids and Awards Committee chairperson Resty Osias testified that he also received similar envelopes during the tenure of Sara Duterte as Education Secretary in 2023.
The Justice Committee is currently assessing whether probable cause exists in the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, which, if found sufficient, would be transmitted to the Senate for trial.