Sara Duterte impeachment: COA to present confidential funds findings

MANILA – Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial will move into the audit phase this week.

Commission on Audit (COA) witnesses are set to present their findings on the ₱612.5 million in confidential funds the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) received during her tenure as secretary.

The prosecution will shift from tracing how the funds moved to examining whether they were spent and liquidated correctly. Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre revealed the preview in a news release on Sunday, August 2.

READ ALSO: 9 Cebu lawmakers vote to impeach Sara Duterte

How the confidential funds got released

“The next witnesses will come from the COA. They will explain how they audited the confidential funds and reviewed the liquidation. They will also discuss whether the supporting documents complied with the rules governing confidential and intelligence funds,” Acidre said.

Former COA auditor Roderick Wamil and incumbent Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office Supervising Auditor Celine May Del Campo will testify.

House of Representatives Legislative Information Resources Management Department Director Marivic Pareja will also take the witness stand.

The testimonies will follow the prosecution’s presentation on Article I last week. It presented former Land Bank of the Philippines managers Violeta Constantino and Nenita Camposano.

Sara Duterte impeachment issues

Acidre said that their testimonies established that the ₱612.5 million in confidential funds came from public money the National Treasury released. Individuals withdrew these through seven checks.

“Unang-una, napatunayan natin na ang pondo ay galing sa public fund. Pangalawa, napatunayan na ito ay winithdraw,” Acidre said.

(First, we proved that the amounts came from public funds. Second, we proved that these were withdrawn.)

Constantino testified on the encashment of four Treasury checks worth ₱125 million each, totaling ₱500 million, for the OVP in December 2022 and in February, April, and July 2023. Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta, accompanied by Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio, handled the transaction.

Unusual transactions

Camposano, for her part, testified on the encashment of three Treasury checks worth ₱37.5 million each, totaling ₱112.5 million, for DepEd.

Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda handled the transactions in February, April, and July 2023, during Duterte’s tenure as DepEd secretary.

Acidre also noted that the testimonies drew attention to the unusual nature of the transactions.

Article I of the impeachment complaint accuses Vice President Duterte of misusing ₱612.5 million in confidential funds. The Office of the Vice President and DepEd received these in 2022 and 2023.

Mary Grace Piattos and company

Acidre said that the prosecution will present evidence on how individuals accounted for the confidential funds.

The former COA auditors are also expected to discuss the decision directing the return of ₱73.287 million in confidential funds. The OVP received this in 2022.

An inquiry in 2024 by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability uncovered potential irregularities in the liquidations.

These included acknowledgment receipts bearing allegedly fictitious names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Milky Secuya”, and “Kokoy Villamin.”

Based on Philippine Statistics Authority certifications and National Bureau of Investigation findings, many of the recipients had no birth records.

Several signatures on acknowledgment receipts appeared to have been written by the same hand

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