Manila: Vice President Sara Duterte, as the head of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and former secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), remains principally accountable for the management of confidential funds. This accountability holds regardless of any testimonies given by her former special disbursing officers (SDOs) before the Senate impeachment court, according to lead House prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' Luistro.
According to Philippines News Agency, Luistro referenced the testimony of Commission on Audit (COA) State Auditor Roderick Wamil. Wamil informed the impeachment court that under the COA - Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Joint Circular 2015-01, the head of an agency is one of the principal parties accountable for confidential funds. Luistro emphasized the clarity of the state auditor's position, asserting that the joint circular explicitly outlines such accountability.
Luistro's comments precede the anticipated testimonies of former OVP SDO Gina Acosta and former DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda, whom the prosecution plans to present as "hostile witnesses." She noted that these individuals are considered hostile due to their involvement and association with the processes related to the alleged incidents specified in the Articles of Impeachment.
Acosta and Fajarda are expected to offer crucial insights because they directly managed the confidential funds as SDOs. Luistro highlighted the importance of their testimonies, given their firsthand knowledge of the handling of public funds, and expressed hope that they would remain consistent with their previous statements during the House of Representatives' Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability's inquiry in the 19th Congress.
During the House inquiry, Acosta testified about transferring OVP confidential funds to then-OVP security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica after encashment, following Duterte's instruction. Similarly, Fajarda testified about transferring DepEd confidential funds to then-DepEd security officer Col. Dennis Nolasco upon Duterte's directive when she was the education secretary. Both SDOs stated that they did not personally distribute the confidential funds, as this task was handled by the security officers.
Their forthcoming testimonies occur after two former LandBank department managers revealed that Acosta and Fajarda encashed a total of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds for the OVP and DepEd. Wamil also identified Acosta and Fajarda as the SDOs responsible for liquidating the confidential funds. He reported that the liquidation reports and disbursement vouchers for both the OVP and DepEd had Duterte's approval as head of the agency, and cited audit findings that included unsupported reward payments, unauthorized expenditures under Joint Circular 2015-01, and a lack of documentary evidence proving the success of confidential or intelligence operations.
