COA auditor expected to continue testimony on alleged irregularities in disbursement of confidential funds
By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Senate impeachment court resumes proceedings Tuesday for the 12th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, with state auditors set to continue presenting evidence on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) use of confidential funds in 2023.
The House prosecution panel will resume the direct examination of Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil, whose testimony has become central to the prosecution’s effort to establish alleged irregularities in the release and liquidation of confidential funds entrusted to the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure.
Wamil, formerly assigned with the COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, is expected to continue authenticating financial documents and explaining audit findings involving the OVP’s confidential fund transactions for 2023.
His testimony follows Monday’s presentation of audit observations on the OVP’s P125-million confidential fund allocation for the fourth quarter of 2022, where he identified several deficiencies in supporting documents and questioned compliance with government rules governing confidential expenditures.
Among the audit findings presented before the impeachment court were acknowledgment receipts that were either undated or acknowledged beyond the prescribed period, involving transactions valued at nearly P29 million. The prosecution maintains that these records raise serious questions regarding the proper documentation of confidential fund disbursements.
Wamil likewise testified that the OVP’s financial plan lacked detailed expenditure items, while a lump-sum allocation intended to cover a three-month operational period was reportedly utilized within only 11 days without sufficient itemization. He also pointed to expenditures allegedly falling outside the purposes authorized under existing rules on confidential funds.
The prosecution completed its presentation on the fourth-quarter 2022 confidential fund releases on Monday and is now shifting its focus to the OVP’s confidential fund utilization from the first through the third quarters of 2023.
During that period, the OVP received P125 million in confidential funds every quarter, bringing the total allocation for 2023 to P500 million.
The Senate impeachment court is likewise expected to examine the confidential funds released to the Department of Education while Duterte served as Education secretary. DepEd received P37.5 million in confidential funds each quarter during the first three quarters of 2023, amounting to P112.5 million.
Earlier testimony also revisited issues surrounding several controversial acknowledgment receipts linked to supposed recipients bearing names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Andy Lim,” and “Patty Ting,” which have figured prominently in the prosecution’s presentation of evidence.
Explaining the governing rules, Wamil told the impeachment court that confidential funds are subject to strict limitations and may only be used for authorized intelligence-related activities, including information gathering for national security, rentals connected to confidential operations, maintenance of safehouses, acquisition of operational equipment, payments to qualified informants, and other expenditures specifically authorized by law.
With documentary evidence on the 2023 confidential fund transactions still under examination, the prosecution is expected to continue presenting audit findings as it seeks to prove the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President, while the defense is anticipated to challenge the significance and interpretation of the audit observations during cross-examination.
ia/xf
