MANILA — A former Commission on Audit (COA) auditor on Tuesday told the Senate impeachment court that the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2023 confidential fund reports contained several expenditures that he believed were not authorized under government rules, while also citing alleged deficiencies in documents supporting multimillion-peso reward payments.
Roderick Wamil, a former auditor assigned to COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, testified on the 12th day of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial as the prosecution continued presenting evidence on the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Wamil said his review of the OVP’s accomplishment reports covering the first three quarters of 2023 showed expenses that were not included in the allowable uses under Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which governs the use of intelligence and confidential funds.
According to Wamil, the list of authorized confidential fund expenditures under the joint circular is exclusive.
“So kapag hindi kasama doon, hindi puwedeng paggamitan ng kanilang confidential fund,” he said.
Among the issues he identified was a reported reward payment during the first quarter of 2023. Wamil testified that the accomplishment report was not accompanied by documents proving that the information-gathering or surveillance activities had been successful, a requirement under the joint circular.
When asked by House prosecutors’ counsel Lorna Kapunan whether the lack of supporting documents constituted a violation, Wamil replied, “yes.”
“Violation po siya since hindi siya compliant doon sa conditions nung payment of reward, which is dapat mayroon siyang supporting document evidencing the success of the information gathering or surveillance activities on the account of information given by the informer,” he testified.
Wamil also questioned entries in the OVP’s second-quarter accomplishment report covering medical assistance, food aid, and payments for incentives or travel expenses related to confidential operations, saying these were not among the expenditures authorized under the joint circular.
He further testified that a reported P12-million reward payment likewise lacked documents demonstrating the success of intelligence or surveillance operations that would justify the disbursement.
The defense, however, objected to Wamil’s testimony.
Defense lawyer Michael Poa argued that the proceedings at that stage were limited to discussing the contents of the accomplishment reports and not determining whether violations had already been committed.
“He is now going into the findings which is not part and parcel of this form, which is accomplishment report. Indicating the payment of the reward by itself is not a violation of the joint circular,” Poa said.
Presiding officer Francis Escudero sustained the defense’s objection, ruling that the impeachment court had yet to reach the stage involving COA’s Audit Observation Memorandum.
The impeachment trial centers on allegations that Duterte-Carpio misused P612.5 million in confidential funds, including P500 million allocated to the OVP and P112.5 million released to the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary. Duterte-Carpio and her legal team have denied the allegations./PN
