MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Army did not receive funds from the Department of Education, the Office of the Vice President or the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group for two 2023 youth programs that DepEd later cited to support P15.54 million in confidential fund spending, an Army officer testified Tuesday during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Col. Manaros Boransing II, former assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations of the Army’s 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division, said the division financed the Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and Information Education Campaign (IEC) through its own allocations.
“There was no funding released to the 1st Infantry Division from DepEd, Sir, of any source,” Boransing told the Senate impeachment court on Day 20 of the trial.
Private prosecutor Reynaldo Robles asked whether the OVP or VPSPG had provided confidential funds for the activities. “For 2023, Sir, there were no funds from other any government agency released to the First Infantry Division,” Boransing said.
The programs sought to prevent young people from joining violent extremist groups, according to Boransing.
Certifications did not mention money
Boransing said he issued certifications after DepEd requested documents confirming its participation, along with that of other government agencies, in the YLS and IEC. He said the certifications did not indicate that DepEd had funded the activities or spent confidential funds on them.
Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros asked whether the certifications could establish that DepEd properly used its confidential funds.
“No, Ma’am,” Boransing replied. He said the documents only confirmed the participation of DepEd and other stakeholders in the two programs and contained no details about funds, expenditures or amounts.
“There was no mention of any [DepEd] funds in the certification that we issued,” he said. Boransing also said he had no knowledge of how DepEd covered its expenses.
“I don’t know how they paid for their expenses,” he said.
The prosecution has argued that Army certifications formed part of the documents DepEd used to support its liquidation of confidential-fund expenditures, including alleged rewards to informants.
Boransing said he did not know DepEd would later use the certifications for that purpose. He said the documents only confirmed that the activities occurred and that participating agencies attended.
He also said the YLS and IEC did not involve intelligence gathering.
Another officer gives similar testimony
Col. Magtangol Panopio, another prosecution witness, also testified that DepEd later used one of his certifications to liquidate confidential funds.
Panopio said he did not know the document would support the liquidation of P15.54 million in confidential-fund rewards.
He said the certification only confirmed that the Army conducted the YLS and did not certify any financial transaction.
Boransing and Panopio had previously testified before a House inquiry into the alleged misuse of confidential funds under the OVP and DepEd.
Army officials told the House panel that the Army and local governments funded the activities. They also said they would not have issued certifications had they known DepEd intended to use them to justify confidential-fund expenditures.
Retired Education Undersecretary and Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin likewise testified that DepEd did not allocate funds for the YLS because the program belonged to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Prosecution lawyer Lorna Kapunan said Boransing’s testimony reinforced evidence presented during the House inquiry.
Intelligence used for security
Boransing told Senator-judge Sherwin Gatchalian that the Army considered intelligence information when selecting venues for the youth programs, but he said the purpose was to protect participants.
“The primary criteria is the safety of the students, the youth,” Boransing said, explaining that the venues had to be secure from possible attacks.
DepEd provided open-source information about participating students, potential youth leaders and schools that could host the programs, he said.
AFP intelligence units handled intelligence gathering and processing, while civil-military operations personnel handled the programs, Boransing said. The distinction became relevant as the court examined whether the activities could support confidential- or intelligence-fund expenditures.
Boransing maintained that his certifications did not attest to any intelligence-related spending.
Duterte did not attend
Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo asked whether Duterte attended any of the Army’s YLS activities in 2023.
“No,” Boransing said.
Boransing and Panopio served as the eighth and ninth prosecution witnesses for Article I of the impeachment complaint, which concerns the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The prosecution has also presented LandBank officials, Commission on Audit auditors and former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta in connection with the alleged confidential-fund misuse.
Acosta testified Aug. 24 that she released P125 million in OVP confidential funds to then-VPSPG chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica in December 2022 despite knowing that he was not a bonded officer.
Acosta had also testified before the House inquiry and said Duterte ordered the release of the funds to Lachica.