JUST like her boss, a chief lawyer of the Office of the Vice President refused to take the oath during the Congressional hearing, insisting that she is not a resource person.

This prompted the leaders of the House Committee on Good Government and Public to throw Emily Torrentira, Legal Affairs Department chief of OVP, out of the hearing room.

It can be recalled that Vice President Sara Duterte refused to take oath at the first day of the hearing on the mishandling of confidential funds of the OVP as well as the Department of Education when is the secretary.

The committee is questioning Duterte on the alleged misuse of P625 million in confidential funds received by the OVP and the DepEd in 2022 and 2023.

Torrentira is not among seven OVP officers the investigating committee is seeking to explain adverse audit findings in the use of the P625-million OVP and DepEd confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs).

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged millions in pesos of confidential funds disbursements, including P73 million that it has disallowed and has asked the Vice President and two other officials to return to the government.

Despite not being invited, Torrentira showed up in yesterday’s hearing.

However, Sheryl Cristine V. Lagrosas, committee secretary and a CPA lawyer, informed the panel that the OVP chief lawyer refused to take the usual oath “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” which is given to resource persons and witnesses.

This prompted Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano to ask: “May I ask the good attorney, what is your role in this, you were not invited but you are present in today’s hearing but you never take your oath? Why? What is your presence (here for)?

“Mr. Chair, your Honor, I am the chief of legal affairs of the Office of the Vice President. I am here to represent the institution,” she answered.

“So you are here to represent the institution. You should, before talking, you should take your oath. Because that is on record. You’re a lawyer, you know that, you cannot speak unless, until you take your oath. That’s the rule, internal rules of this House and of this committee,” Paduano told Torrentira.

Rep. Dan Fernandez of Laguna said he was wondering why the OVP chief lawyer was refusing to take the truth-telling oath.

“No your Honor, I am not refusing to take the oath. Prior to being asked to take the oath, I was trying to explain your Honor that I am not an invited resource person…that I’ve only been asked now to explain why there was no receipt of subpoena for the persons who are not present here. That is what I have been trying to say,” Torrentira responded.

She said under the rules of the committee and the Rules of Court, “personal service must be made to resource persons who are being issued subpoena.”

“They being not present in the office at that time, no person can receive on their behalf, and hence there will be no proper service,” she said.

“Has somebody told you not to accept all those invitations?” Fernandez asked.

“No your Honor, it was a… it is in accordance with the rules,” Torrentira said.

Lagrosas informed the panel that Torrentira did not present a letter of authorization.

It was at this point that Paduano moved to dismiss the OVP lawyer.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jester P. Manalastas