By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Senate impeachment court resumes proceedings Wednesday with senator-judges set to directly question a key Commission on Audit (COA) witness whose testimony has centered on alleged deficiencies in the handling of confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte during her tenure at both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The 13th day of the impeachment trial follows the completion of the prosecution’s redirect examination and the defense’s recross-examination of Roderick Wamil, former lead state auditor of the COA Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO), who supervised the audit of Duterte’s confidential funds.
Taking the floor first for clarificatory questions is Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo, followed by Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, and JV Ejercito.
Wamil’s testimony focused on the audit of confidential funds released to both the OVP and DepEd while Duterte headed the two offices. He detailed the documents submitted to COA during the post-audit process and pointed to what he described as deficiencies in compliance with government auditing rules.
According to Wamil, the OVP received P500 million in confidential funds, released in quarterly tranches of P125 million from the fourth quarter of 2022 through the first three quarters of 2023.
He also testified that DepEd was allocated P37.5 million in confidential funds every quarter during the first quarter of 2023 while Duterte was serving as education secretary.
During his testimony, Wamil cited alleged discrepancies in the liquidation documents submitted by both agencies, saying auditors found incomplete supporting requirements and instances of noncompliance with prescribed disbursement procedures governing confidential funds.
His testimony forms part of the House prosecution panel’s effort to support allegations that Duterte mishandled confidential funds—one of the articles of impeachment now under trial before the Senate.
Following the senator-judges’ questioning, the prosecution is expected to present its fourth witness, Xylene Del Ocampo, the current COA-ICFAO auditor who succeeded Wamil in handling the audit.
Del Ocampo is expected to explain the subsequent actions taken by the Commission on Audit after Wamil was reassigned while the agency’s review of the questioned confidential fund transactions was still ongoing.
The senator-judges’ clarificatory questions are expected to further test the credibility of the audit findings before the prosecution formally presents its next witness in the continuing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.
ia/xf
