House prosecutors intend to call Vice President Sara Duterte as a witness in her own impeachment trial after presenting evidence on all four allegations they raised against her under the articles of impeachment. “The testimony of the Vice President will be material to all four articles—grave threats, misuse and misappropriation of funds, unexplained wealth, and...
Tag: Senate
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Duterte secret fund recipients were minors, dead or missing in PSA records
Beyond odd-sounding names, supposed recipients of Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds from her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2023 were recorded as minors, dead, or missing in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The youngest was a 2-month-old baby who died in 1965, or 60 years before supposedly signing acknowledgment receipts (ARs)...
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Witness says he didn’t know Duterte assigned security officer to handle DepEd secret funds
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...
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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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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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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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Why Sen. Pia Cayetano should consider recusing herself from the impeachment trial
One of the oldest principles of justice is also one of its simplest: Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done. This principle explains why judges routinely inhibit themselves from cases in which their impartiality may reasonably be questioned. The issue is not always actual bias. More often, it...