One of Vice President Sara Duterte’s “most trusted” officials acknowledged on Wednesday, Sept. 2, that he was unaware that she had tasked a security officer, Lt. Col. Dennis Nolasco, with handling multimillion-peso confidential funds at the Department of Education (DepEd). Michael Poa, a former education undersecretary and chief of staff, said he learned of Nolasco’s...
Tag: impeachment trial
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No DepEd funds for Army youth programs, colonels tell impeachment court
Two Army officials stated Tuesday that their units received no confidential or regular funds in 2023 from the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte for anti-insurgency and anti-terrorism programs for the youth, contrary to its claim. They also told the Senate impeachment court that DepEd officials requested that the certifications they issued...
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Only Duterte, security aide knew use of secret funds, says witness
Amid allegations of misuse, only Vice President Sara Duterte and her former security aide, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, knew how her controversial ₱500 million in confidential funds were used, her deputy chief of staff told the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Lemuel Ortonio made the admission at the conclusion of his testimony before...
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Informants, agents paid in cash from Duterte secret funds, says witness
Using confidential funds, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) paid its informants and agents in cash, which they used to purchase food, medicines, chairs, and other supplies. OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio disclosed this to the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday, in response to the absence of official receipts for the office’s multimillion-peso confidential...
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Witness says she entrusted Duterte security chief with secret funds
The former special disbursing officer (SDO) for Vice President Sara Duterte’s ₱500 million in confidential funds admitted on Monday that she placed complete trust in former security aide Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, accepting without question his explanation and the documents he gave her to justify fund spending. Gina Acosta repeatedly told the Senate impeachment court...
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Duterte security officer handled secret funds but not cited in documents submitted to COA, says witness
The former special disbursing officer (SDO) at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) admitted on Monday, Aug. 17, that Col. Raymund Dante Lachica was not mentioned in any of the documents submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) in justifying the disbursement of ₱125 million in confidential funds in December 2022. Gina Acosta made...
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COA studies post-audit of Duterte secret funds
The Commission on Audit (COA) is studying the possibility of conducting a post-fraud audit of the multimillion-peso confidential funds of Vice President Sara Duterte in view of the “aliases” and odd-sounding names of their supposed recipients in her office and the Department of Education (DepEd). Xylene Mae del Campo, state auditor of the COA-Intelligence and...
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More odd-sounding names of Duterte secret fund ‘recipients’ listed
More familiar and odd-sounding names surfaced as supposed recipients of million-peso confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte during the Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday, Aug. 11. DepEd special disbursing officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda was also found as having disbursed cash...
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COA’s document-based audit of secret funds disappoints senator-judges
Senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte expressed deep frustration on Wednesday, Aug. 5, over the Commission on Audit’s (COA) failure to go beyond the liquidation documents it reviewed regarding the alleged misused multimillion-peso confidential funds. Roderick Wamil, a former state auditor of the COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Unit (Icfau),...
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Duterte execs sought COA ‘query’ on secret funds instead of memo, says witness
Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp had tried to persuade the Commission on Audit (COA) not to issue an audit observation memorandum (AOM) during its review of multimillion-peso confidential funds spent by her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2023, according to state auditor Roderick Wamil. Rather than an AOM, Roderick Wamil told the...