Manila: A Commission on Audit (COA) auditor revealed an unprecedented practice involving the use of medicines as rewards for intelligence information within the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) confidential fund transactions. This disclosure emerged during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where Roderick Wamil, a former auditor with the COA's Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, testified about this unusual arrangement.
According to Philippines News Agency, Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros inquired if the practice of exchanging medicines for intelligence information was standard. Wamil responded that this was the first time he encountered such a practice, emphasizing its novelty particularly in the OVP. The discussion centered on whether these transactions should be classified as intelligence rewards or a form of public assistance, as the documents described medicines as payments to informants.
Wamil elucidated that the transactions could be perceived as either rewards or provisions of medicine, based on the document descriptions. He noted that COA did not investigate the medical conditions treated by the medicines or why informants were required to provide intelligence before receiving them. An acknowledgment receipt cited by Hontiveros showed 'Mary Grace Piattos' receiving PHP70,000 worth of medicines, yet the documents lacked details on the recipient's illness.
Furthermore, Wamil highlighted that the OVP did not provide evidence showing the intelligence operations associated with the rewards yielded results, thus failing to comply with the governing joint circular. This non-compliance hindered COA's ability to verify if the rewards reached the intended informants.
In another unprecedented scenario, Wamil mentioned that the OVP initially refused to accept a formal audit observation memorandum (AOM), a first in his auditing experience. He remarked that other government offices accepted and responded to AOMs, whereas no one at the OVP was authorized to receive it.
Wamil also reaffirmed his earlier testimony about a meeting with OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez and then Department of Education Chief of Staff Michael Poa in September 2023. The meeting followed auditors finding deficiencies in the confidential fund liquidations of both OVP and DepEd. Wamil revealed that Lopez and Poa requested an audit query instead of an AOM, but this was denied because the governing Joint Circular No. 2015-01 did not allow for such an audit action.
The audit also uncovered an unusual disbursement pattern, with PHP17 million in confidential funds disbursed in 111 transactions on a single day. Senator-Judge Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan pointed out patterns in the acknowledgement receipts, which were in whole amounts without fractions, unlike standard commercial receipts. Wamil could not confirm the daily disbursement figures but acknowledged the unusual volume.
Wamil's testimony supports the impeachment complaint's Article I, which alleges the misuse of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds released to the OVP and DepEd during Duterte's tenure.
