Ex-DepEd official presents envelopes allegedly from Sara Duterte; VP calls her 'disgruntled'

A former official of the Department of Education told a House panel on Wednesday that after being appointed Head Of the Procuring Entity (HOPE) for DepEd in February 2023, envelopes that contained P50,000 was handed to her monthly for nine months, on top of her salary.

FULL STORY: Ex-DepEd official claims receiving monthly 'envelopes' from Duterte during tenure as head of procurement; VP denies allegation

Former Education Undersecretary Gloria Mercado said she was told the envelopes came from then-DepEd chief, Vice President Sara Duterte. Asked if the motive was to influence her decision as lead of the group procuring for DepEd, Mercado said “it could be.”

In a press conference, Duterte challenged Mercado to present documents to prove her claims against her and her staff. The Vice President accused Mercado of being a “disgruntled” former DepEd employee, who she claimed was let go after she sent an unauthorized solicitation letter to a company in 2023 to ask for P16 million on behalf of the DepEd.

Sought for comment during the House hearing, Mercado denied she solicited money. She took out the nine envelopes that used to contain the P50,000 given to her, and submitted it to the committee as proof of her allegations. Written on the envelopes is the word HOPE, which stands for Head Of Procuring Entity.