MANILA, Philippines — Former Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza urged Filipinos to listen to state auditors’ testimonies in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying auditors provide independent and professional assessments of government spending.
Mendoza made the appeal Tuesday on the sidelines of the Senate impeachment trial, as prosecutors presented COA findings involving Duterte’s use of confidential funds during her tenure as vice president.
“Ang mga auditor po natin ay kakampi ng bayan,” Mendoza said, describing auditors as professionals who conduct reviews and examinations of government transactions without favoring any side.
Two COA personnel from the Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office have testified for the prosecution: Atty. Roderick Wamil and Xylene Mae del Campo. They audited confidential expenses incurred by Duterte’s offices.
Mendoza also urged the public to monitor the proceedings because the Senate is examining the use of public funds.
“Pera po ng bayan ‘yan, pera natin ‘yan,” she said.
Auditors cite disallowed expenses
Mendoza said Wamil and del Campo demonstrated professionalism and consistency while answering questions during the trial. She said both auditors showed familiarity with the rules governing confidential funds under Joint Circular No. 2015-01.
Del Campo testified Tuesday that COA disallowed several Office of the Vice President transactions in December 2022 because they involved activities that did not fall within the allowable uses of confidential funds.
The transactions included tree-planting activities, wheelchair distribution and Christmas parties.
She also said the activities occurred before the OVP encashed its P125 million confidential fund allocation for the fourth quarter of 2022. The OVP encashed the funds on Dec. 20, meaning the money could cover expenses from Dec. 21 to 31.
Del Campo later clarified that the OVP did not claim that it used confidential funds to directly finance those activities. Instead, the office said the expenses involved security measures for Duterte before she attended the events.
However, Del Campo said the documents submitted by the OVP did not sufficiently establish the need for the confidential expenses.
Wamil, meanwhile, testified that the OVP used P40 million from its fourth-quarter 2022 confidential fund allocation to purchase medicines that auditors treated as rewards.
He said auditors disallowed the expenses because acknowledgment receipts did not contain documentary evidence showing payment or proof that the information-gathering and surveillance activities produced results.
Wamil made similar observations about the OVP’s confidential expenses in 2023, saying the office failed to submit documents showing payment and evidence of successful information-gathering or surveillance activities.
The OVP also used P42 million from its first-quarter 2023 allocation and another P40 million from its second-quarter allocation to purchase medicines.
Mendoza said auditors’ findings deserve scrutiny based on their technical expertise, independence and adherence to established audit procedures.
She also urged the public to approach information surrounding the impeachment proceedings with an open mind amid competing claims and discussions on social media.
