CHR chair, 3 others face raps over alleged irregular travel fund claims

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a complaint, along with supporting evidence, before the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, against Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Richard Palpal-Latoc and three other officials over alleged irregularities in the processing and payment of travel-related claims connected to a donor-funded training abroad.

The three others identified in the complaint are Russel Mani, Maria Teresa Dolor, and Onesimo Cuyco.   

The complaint alleged that Palpal-Latoc attended the 54th International Institute of Human Rights Summer School 2025, a month-long program whose airfare, accommodation, meals and subsistence expenses were “fully funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).”

Despite this, the complaint alleged that Palpal-Latoc still claimed daily subsistence allowance and representation expenses during the same period.

“E.O. No. 77, s. 2019 bars both claims where travel is fully borne by a sponsor,” the complaint stated, adding that Section 16(b) “specifically disallows representation expenses for officials attending training or travelling on donor-funded trips.” 

NBI also questioned the disbursement voucher used to process the claims, alleging that it failed to disclose the foreign sponsorship.

“It contains no disclosure of the foreign donor, in violation of E.O. No. 77’s disclosure requirement,” the complaint said. 

According to the filing, the supporting documents attached to the voucher also allegedly contained inconsistencies. 

NBI claimed the payment request was backed by a program agenda for the 53rd Summer School held from June 24 to July 19, 2024, instead of documents corresponding to the 2025 training cited in the disbursement voucher, authority to travel, and actual itinerary. 

The complaint further alleged that the transaction proceeded despite missing mandatory requirements.

“Despite missing mandatory documents, the mismatched program documentation, the prohibited claims, and the undisclosed sponsorship, the voucher passed through every control point,” the filing stated. 

The NBI identified Russel Mani as the official who certified the completeness of the supporting documents, Maria Teresa Dolor as the official who certified fund availability, and Onesimo Cuyco as the approving officer who authorized payment.

They alleged that the chairperson received “public funds for costs he never incurred, at the Government’s expense,” while certifying and approving officials allegedly acted with “manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence.”

The Ombudsman and the CHR have yet to issue their respective statements on the complaint.