AS the Senate Impeachment Court prepares to hear testimony on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) and Department of Education’s (DepEd) use of P612.5 million in confidential funds, House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur said Sunday that confidentiality does not exempt public funds from audit requirements.
Confidential and intelligence funds, he stressed, remain subject to strict regulations and cannot be treated as discretionary spending or be shielded from Commission on Audit (COA) scrutiny.
“Kailangan natin tandaan… itong confidential funds ay hindi ito discretionary fund. Meron itong regulation para sa paggamit nito. Hindi ibig sabihin na dahil pinatakpan mo dahil confidential, sabi mo, ‘Huwag ka na ‘yung magtanong o hindi dapat magtanong kasi ‘yung security ng ating mga informant,’ Hindi mo po pwedeng sabihin din ‘yun sa COA,” he said in a Sunday interview over dzBB’s Bantay Balita sa Kongreso with Nimfa Ravelo and Isa Avendaño-Umali.
He argued that the larger the amount involved, the greater the government’s responsibility to determine whether the spending complied with existing rules and achieved its intended purpose.
“Kaya kailangan malaman din ng taongbayan malaki ang gastos. The bigger the amount, the more deeper that the COA and the government also need to ask questions,” Alonto Adiong said.
He emphasized that one of the central issues in the prosecution’s presentation is whether the disbursement of confidential funds complied with Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which outlines the proper use, liquidation, and reporting of confidential and intelligence funds.
To support this allegation, the prosecution will be presenting COA state auditors who will explain why the acknowledgment receipts and supporting documents submitted by the OVP failed to comply with Joint Circular No. 2015-01, including requirements for validating confidential informants.
Beyond tracing how the funds were spent, Alonto Adiong said the public also deserves to know what concrete security or intelligence gains resulted from the P612.5 million expenditure.
“How would you be able to spend P612.5 million… Tatanungin natin… ano ba ‘yung naging accomplishment in terms of supporting the counter terrorism, for example, agenda and program of the government?” he asked.
He likewise agreed with Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s observation that confidential funds are ordinarily released based on operational requirements and needs, rather than on a fixed quarterly schedule like the releases made to the OVP and DepEd in 2023.
“Ang magdidikta kasi ng utilization of confidential funds and intelligence funds is ‘yung case build-up na nangyayari… Hindi ‘yung para na siyang naka-calendar, na para na siyang MOOE, na para na siyang discretionary fund,” he said.
Alonto Adiong added that the House prosecution panel has also lined up reserve witnesses with expertise in confidential and intelligence fund operations to help the Impeachment Court compare standard government practices with the spending patterns under scrutiny.
He also pointed out that the OVP’s and DepEd’s reported utilization of their confidential funds stands out because intelligence and confidential fund allocations are not typically exhausted in full. Building intelligence networks and recruiting legitimate informants takes time, making full utilization less common, he said.
“In fact, hindi agad sa lahat ng mga agencies na tatanungin natin, hindi nila nauubos ito. Kasi ang hirap kaya kumuha ng informant, ang hirap kaya kumuha ng mga asset mo,” Alonto Adiong said.
He also questioned why, if individuals such as “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Kokoy Villamin” were legitimate intelligence assets, their identities could not be properly disclosed to COA for audit purposes.
The House prosecution is currently presenting evidence under Article I of the articles of impeachment, which accuses Duterte of misusing confidential funds while serving as vice president and as DepEd secretary.
State auditors are expected to testify this week on the audit findings covering the P612.5 million in confidential funds released to the OVP and DepEd in 2022 and 2023.
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