Impeachment Trial Day 12: OVP 2023 confidential funds scrutiny continues
MANILA, Philippines – The House prosecution panel will resume its presentation of evidence on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2023 confidential funds on Tuesday as Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial enters its 12th day.
Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil will continue his testimony, examining documents related to the OVP’s confidential fund expenditures and sharing his observations on the records.
Wamil, who previously served as a COA-Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) auditor, was among those who audited Duterte’s confidential funds not only in the OVP, but also in the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was secretary.
On Monday, Wamil testified before the Senate impeachment court on the OVP’s confidential funds approved in the fourth quarter of 2022 amounting to P125 million – some of which is infamous for being paid out to alleged fake identities, named Mary Grace Piattos, Andy Lim, and Patty Ting, among others.
In the same afternoon, Wamil flagged the noncompliance of the OVP in executing confidential funds, including a financial plan that lacked specific items, the use of a supposed three-month lump sum in only 11 days without proper itemization, and the use of confidential funds outside of allowable circumstances.
While the House prosecution was able to wrap up its examination of the OVP’s confidential funds from the fourth quarter of 2022, it has yet to go over the OVP and the DepEd’s confidential funds for the first to third quarters of 2023.
The OVP acquired P125 million in confidential funds per quarter during that period, amounting to P500 million in total.
Meanwhile, DepEd disbursed P37.5 million in confidential funds per quarter during the first three quarters of 2023, which adds up to P112.5 million.
Earlier in his testimony, Wamil explained that confidential funds may only be used for limited purposes and with several documents required for auditing.
According to Wamil, confidential funds may only be disbursed for the following purposes:
- Purchase of information necessary for the formulation and implementation of program, activities and projects relevant to the national security and peace and order
- Rental of transport vehicle related to confidential activities
- Rentals and the incidental expenses related to the maintenance of safehouses
- Purchase or rental of supplies, materials and equipment for confidential operations that cannot be done through regular procedures without compromising the information gathering activity concerned
- Payment of rewards to informers (non-employee of concerned government agency) subject to the following conditions
- Uncover/Prevent illegal activities that pose a clear and present danger to agency personnel/property, or other facilities and resources under the agency protection, done in coordination with the appropriate law enforcement agencies
- Others that may be authorized by the GAA or other special law/s
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