Manila: The testimony provided by an auditor of the Commission on Audit (COA) at the Senate impeachment court showed a clear intention by Vice President Sara Duterte to misuse the PHP125 million in confidential funds her office received in the fourth quarter of 2022, House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur said Monday. In a press briefing, he said the testimony of COA auditor Roderick Wamil regarding the audit he and his team from the Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office conducted on the OVP showed a lot of discrepancies and questionable acts that point towards irregularities in the use of the funds.
According to Philippines News Agency, Adiong stated that the approved physical and financial plan of the OVP on the use of its confidential funds is significant as it shows how and where the money will be used in this highly secretive appropriation. He mentioned that COA found non-compliance in the plan due to the lack of specific details regarding confidential activities. Adiong noted that the OVP's accomplishment report lacked details justifying the use of the confidential funds according to the plan.
The audit revealed that acknowledgment receipts were issued a year after the dates covered by the OVP's liquidation report for the PHP125 million, which was from Dec. 21 to 31, 2022. This raised concerns as the time for using the confidential funds had passed. Wamil testified that the OVP did not provide documents to support the purchase of information, and instead of official receipts, it submitted acknowledgment receipts, which were not allowed by COA.
House trial spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers stated that Wamil's testimony reinforced the panel's allegation that Duterte may have misused portions of the PHP612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education. Wamil emphasized that while the purposes of confidential fund operations may remain undisclosed for security reasons, their procurement, transactions, and liquidation must comply with government auditing rules.
Wamil testified that auditors identified gaps in documentation supporting portions of the PHP612.5 million confidential funds, including acknowledgment receipts and other liquidation records. He said that confidential funds must be spent only for authorized purposes, with compliance determined through documentary evidence submitted to auditors. The OVP's accomplishment report, signed by Vice President Duterte, did not enumerate specific confidential activities, complicating the determination of whether expenditures fell within allowable uses.
Barbers mentioned that the House prosecution panel will continue presenting evidence and witness testimony to support its case. Vice President Duterte has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the expenditures were lawful, leaving the Senate impeachment court to determine the issues based on the evidence.
House prosecutor Joel Chua of Manila stated that the prosecution might shorten its evidence presentation to expedite Duterte's impeachment trial. The prosecution considers reducing the number of witnesses for Article 1, as it did for Article 4, provided the weight of the evidence remains intact. The aim is to complete the evidence presentation on Article 1 within the month.
