THE Department of Education (DepEd) reported using the exact ₱37.5 million it received as a confidential-fund cash advance for the first quarter of 2023, but its submissions did not identify particular schools, the 115 reported surveillance areas or successful operations supporting several claimed accomplishments, Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil testified Tuesday.
The accomplishment report covered Feb. 20 to March 30, 2023 and was among the common exhibits stipulated to by the prosecution and defense.
“The significance po ng accomplishment report is that dito po nakalagay ’yung kanilang confidential expenses na pinaggamitan ng kanilang confidential fund,” Wamil told the Senate Impeachment Court.
DepEd divided the ₱37.5 million among counterinsurgency, abuse prevention and control within schools, anti-illegal activities operations, and anti-extremism and terrorism programs.
Under counterinsurgency, the report listed ₱2.47 million for purchasing information, ₱2 million for rewards, ₱2.805 million for supplies and ₱2.1 million for incentives or travel related to confidential operations.
“For the purchase of information po, ₱2.47 million; for the payment of reward, ₱2 million; for the purchase of supplies, ₱2.805 million; and for the payment of incentives or traveling relative to the confidential operations, ₱2.1 million,” Wamil testified. The entries totaled ₱9.375 million.
The report stated that DepEd conducted surveillance in 115 areas and achieved “100% implementation of activities without untoward security-related incidents.”
Asked whether DepEd submitted a list identifying the 115 areas, Wamil answered: “Wala po silang sinubmit.”
He gave the same response when asked for a list of activities supporting the reported 100-percent implementation and for particular schools involved in successful counterinsurgency operations.
The report assigned another ₱10 million to reducing abuses against learners. It also reported expenditures for eliminating illegal activities in schools and for anti-extremism and terrorism efforts.
Wamil said some line items—including incentives or travel and medical aid—were outside the exclusive list of allowable confidential expenses under Item 4.8 of Joint Circular No. 2015-01.
“For the first quarter po, meron po silang sinamang line item for confidential expense na hindi po among the allowable confidential expenses under Item 4.8 of the Joint Circular,” he testified.
The auditor also identified reward payments of ₱2 million for counterinsurgency, ₱2.13 million for abuse prevention, ₱1.5 million for anti-illegal operations and ₱1.8179 million for anti-extremism and terrorism.
Wamil said DepEd submitted no document showing that information supplied by an informer led to successful information-gathering or surveillance—the proof required under Item 4.8.5 for a valid reward payment.
“Wala po silang sinubmit na document evidencing the success of the information-gathering or surveillance activities on account of the information given by the informer,” he said.
He testified that the absence violated Item 4.8.5. Wamil explained that a valid reward must be approved by the agency head, supported by a document establishing the successful operation attributable to the informer’s information, and directly related to the agency’s confidential activities.
At the bottom of the report was “Approved by,” followed by the signature of Duterte, who was then concurrently Vice President and Education secretary.
“Ang ibig sabihin po ng ‘Approved by’ ay in-approve po ng signatory kung anuman ’yung contents ng accomplishment report,” Wamil said, identifying Duterte as the signatory.
The testimony did not establish that the claimed school-related activities never occurred. It established that the documents DepEd submitted to auditors did not provide the identified lists and operational support and that some reported expense categories were outside the circular’s exclusive list.
When Kapunan asked Wamil to total the first-quarter entries, he said they reached ₱37.5 million—the same amount as the cash advance.
“Eksakto po sa cash advance nila.”
metrosundaily
