Boransing: Certification not meant to attest DepEd's use of confidential funds

Army Colonel Manaros Boransing II said Tuesday the certification issued to then Education Undersecretary Michael Poa was not meant to attest DepEd's use of confidential funds in 2023.

Boransing made the testimony during Day 20 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte during the questioning of Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros.

Hontiveros asked Boransing if his certification serves as proof that DepEd appropriately disbursed its confidential funds, to which the latter replied, “No, Maam. The certification was [for] their (DepEd) and other stakeholders' participation in the Youth Leadership Summit and the Information Education Communication Campaign.”

Asked again by Hontiveros if he means that he has no personal knowledge of how the DepEd used its regular or confidential funds for Philippine Army activities, Boransing replied, “Yes, Your Honor. I do not have any personal knowledge.”

Private prosecutor Rey Robles also asked Boransing to confirm his October 2024 testimony before the House good government and public accountability panel inquiry that he issued a certification as proof of attendance to stakeholders who participated in the seminars, to which the latter said, “Yes, Sir.”

Asked to confirm the truth and veracity of his statement before the House panel, Boransing added “Yes, Sir.”

The military official then said that his certification did not state if it covers any regular or confidential fund that the DepEd spent for the said seminars.

“There was no mention of any [DepEd] funds in the certification that we issued,” he said.

It can be recalled that then Poa told the same 2024 House inquiry that he asked Boransing and other military officials for certification since the Commission on Audit (COA) was asking the DepEd for documentary evidence on the rewards it paid to informants using P15.5 million worth of confidential funds.

Boransing, who served as assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations, G7, of the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division of the Philippine Army, said that while he issued a certification, he did not know that it will be used to justify the DepEd’s disbursement of its confidential fund.

The military official also said that his unit did not receive any confidential fund from DepEd under Duterte for the conduct of eight leadership seminars in 2023.

“I have no knowledge of [DepEd’s] source of funds. I can only speak for us,” said Boransing.

“There were no DepEd funds downloaded to our unit,” he added.

He also said he did not know his certification would be used to justify DepEd’s confidential fund spending.

“I have no knowledge of that. I haven’t even read COA (Commission on Audit) documents,” he said.

The military official, however, did not take offense that his certification was used for justifying DepEd’s confidential fund expenses.

“I did not have any reaction,” Boransing said.

However, he could not say if he would again issue a certification if he knew that DepEd will use it to justify its P15.54 million confidential fund spending.

“It is hard to speculate what I would have done,” Boransing added. —AOL, GMA News