CAGAYAN de Oro City— A former Department of Education (DepEd) official told the impeachment court that the agency under then Vice President Sara Duterte did not provide the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) any funding for youth leadership summits cited to support the liquidation of confidential fund expenses.
Former DepEd chief of staff Atty. Michael Poa made the admission Wednesday, Sept. 2, as he testified as a hostile witness on Day 21 of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
The testimony is significant because the AFP’s youth leadership summits were among the activities cited in documents presented to the Commission on Audit (COA) in connection with the DepEd’s confidential fund expenditures.
‘Not even a peso’
Poa confirmed the prosecution’s assertion that DepEd did not fund the AFP’s conduct of the Youth Leadership Summits (YLS).
“I’m sure you agree na wala hong binigay kahit piso ang Department of Education sa AFP para maisagawa itong mga youth leadership summit nila,” prosecution counsel Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. asked.
“Yes sir, I confirm that,” Poa replied.
Tolosa also presented to Poa the transcript of his earlier testimony before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
In that hearing, Poa said the AFP’s activities were used on the premise that military operations were connected to information supposedly received from DepEd following rewards given under the agency’s programs.
Poa again agreed when Tolosa asked him to confirm the statement.
AFP used its own budget
Poa’s testimony echoed the statements of Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio, who testified during the previous day of the trial that the AFP used its own funds to conduct the YLS.
The officers also said they issued certifications concerning the conduct of YLS and information, education and communication campaigns without initially knowing that these documents would later be used by DepEd in accounting for its confidential fund expenditures before COA.
The testimonies raise questions about how activities carried out by another government agency were used to support the liquidation of DepEd confidential funds.
Poa says he did not know how funds were spent
Poa also acknowledged that he did not personally know how the confidential funds were spent.
This is notable because he served as a high-ranking aide under Duterte and had previously told the House panel that he had no personal knowledge of why the Army was asked to provide certifications to DepEd.
For the public, the central issue is not simply whether the youth summits took place, but whether the documents used to account for confidential spending accurately reflected who funded the activities, who conducted them, and how the funds were actually used.
The impeachment court is examining the use of confidential funds by both DepEd and the Office of the Vice President as part of the allegations against Duterte.
The proceedings are ongoing, and the testimonies presented in the impeachment trial remain subject to evaluation by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.
Duterte has denied wrongdoing in connection with the confidential funds and has defended the use of the funds. The impeachment court will ultimately determine whether the allegations have been sufficiently established under the proceedings.
