House panel seeks DOJ order for OVP official travel ban

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has requested the Department of Justice to issue an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against seven officials from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in relation to alleged misuse of government funds.

Chairperson Rep. Joel Chua made this request after receiving information that these individuals may be preparing to leave the country, citing their repeated absences from previous House hearings and the importance of their testimonies for ongoing investigations.

One of the seven officials, Atty. Zuleika Lopez, fled the Philippines on Monday night and boarded a flight to Los Angeles, according to committee secretary Sheryl Lagrosas's report during Tuesday's hearing.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has disallowed over P73 million of the allocated P125 million in confidential funds to the OVP in 2022 and ordered its return to the government.

Rep. Rolando Valeriano initiated a probe based on COA findings accusing Vice President Sara Duterte's office of fund mismanagement, leading to the issuance of subpoenas against the officials.