Day 11: COA auditor names 'Piattos,' 'Harina,' flags confi fund irregularities

The House prosecution panel on Monday presented, for the first time, a former state auditor from the Commission on Audit's Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) to support its allegation that Vice President Sara Duterte committed an impeachable offense by allegedly misusing confidential funds.

The prosecution submitted COA documents related to the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, including the P125 million released to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in December 2022.

Prosecution

Prosecution witness and lawyer Roderick Wamil, a former COA-ICFAO state auditor, testified that the OVP's liquidation reports covering the P125 million in confidential funds disbursed within 11 days in December 2022 did not comply with the joint circular governing the use of confidential funds.

Instead of submitting sales invoices or official receipts, the OVP submitted only acknowledgment receipts to support its liquidation of the confidential funds, Wamil said.

Wamil also testified that several liquidation documents submitted by the OVP violated the 2015 Joint Circular. Among the acknowledgment receipts he cited were:

• P70,000 received by Mary Grace Piattos for the purchase of medicines, an expense not included in the allowable uses of confidential funds;
• P110,000 received by Renan Piattos dated December 27, 2023, which was not covered by the 2022 confidential fund allocation;
• P85,000 received by Nova Santos for the purchase of various goods, an expense not included in the allowable uses of confidential funds;
• P295,000 received by Mico Harina dated December 31, 2023, which was not covered by the 2022 confidential fund allocation;
• P50,000 received by Andy Lim dated December 27, 2023, which was not covered by the 2022 confidential fund allocation;
• P70,000 received by Gabriel Bisaya dated December 27, 2023, which was not covered by the 2022 confidential fund allocation; and
• P90,000 received by Alejandro Pikit dated December 21, 2023, which was not covered by the 2022 confidential fund allocation, among others.

Wamil also testified that the OVP used part of its 2022 confidential fund allocation to provide medical and food assistance worth about P40 million, as well as P10 million for incentives, rewards, and travel expenses related to confidential operations.

He said these expenditures are not among those allowed under the 2015 Joint Circular.

Defense

Duterte's counsel, lawyer Michael Poa, disputed the claim that the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds within 11 days in December 2022, despite the timeline being based on documents the OVP itself submitted to COA.

Poa later said the OVP has an explanation for the utilization of the confidential funds within the 11-day period, adding that the defense may address the issue further during cross-examination.

During the trial, Poa also objected to the prosecution's presentation of the acknowledgment receipts issued to Andy Lim and Alejandro Pikit, arguing that private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan was giving the documents a political color.

Poa likewise said there was nothing surprising about Wamil's testimony.

Impeachment court

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero confirmed that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) had complied with the presidential authorization requirement under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) for the release of the tax records of Vice President Duterte and her husband.

Escudero also granted requests by Banco De Oro and Security Bank for an additional 10 banking days, or until August 13, 2026, to fully comply with subpoenas seeking the Vice President's bank records.— MCG, GMA News