COA's Del Campo to testify on ₱375-M OVP confi funds disbursed in 2023

State auditor Xylene del Campo of the Commission on Audit- Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) will testify on the notice of disallowances that COA issued to the Office of the Vice President’s ₱375 million worth of confidential funds disbursed in 2023 when Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial resumes this week, the House prosecution panel said Monday.

House prosecution panel spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. made the announcement ahead of Del Campo’s testimony set on August 11, Tuesday.

“Some people are asking, will her testimony be any different from that of Atty. Roderick Wamil? Atty. Wamil left the ICFAO in 2024, and so Del Campo’s testimony will show us what happened after Atty. Wamil’s findings,” Tolosa said in an online press conference.

Atty. Wamil, a former state auditor of the COA-ICFAO earlier testified that the OVP did not submit a single receipt or any documentary evidence of its ₱125 million confidential fund disbursement in 2022.

Likewise, Wamil told the impeachment court that the OVP under Duterte did not submit documentary evidence for payments to the recipients of at least ₱129 million out of its ₱250-million confidential fund allocation for the first and second quarters of 2023.

“She (Del Campo) will testify on the AOM (audit observation memorandum) [issued to the OVP, the subsequent COA issuance of notice of suspension and notice of disallowance (ND). Miss del Campo will be able to provide answers about those inssuances,” Tolosa added.

An AOM is a preliminary finding by state auditors which allows the agencies to respond on findings of insufficient liquidation documents. A Notice of Disallowance, on the other hand, is issued when and expenditure is “either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable" and orders the concerns agency to return such amount to government coffers.

It was COA-ICFAO head and lawyer Gloria Camora who disclosed before the House justice panel in April that the ND on the ₱73 million confidential fund disbursements of the OVP in 2022 has been affirmed by the COA, and that another ND was issued to the OVP for its ₱375 million 2023 confidential fund disbursements.

The same ND issued in 2023 states that the Vice President, who approved the transactions, including the utilization of the cash advances, as well as Acosta, OVP Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, OVP Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey and Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica of the Vice President Security and Protection Group, are responsible for the disbursement of ₱375 million worth of confidential funds in 2023 that are unsupported by documents or proven accomplishments.

Hostile ones

Others ordered by the Senate impeachment court to testify this week are former special disbursing officers Acosta of the OVP and Eduard Fajarda of the DepEd when the Vice President was still the Education Secretary.

“As testified by Atty. Wamil, these disbursement officers received the cash [withdrawal of confidential funds], they are the payees of the cheques worth ₱500 million worth of confidential fund for OVP and the ₱112.5 million for DepEd. Magandang marinig natin from them kung explanation nila since sila yung tumanggap nung bultong bultong pera na ito, saan nila ginamit ito at sino ang pinagbigyan nila,” Tolosa said.

Tolosa, however, said the prosecution team has yet to receive confirmation if Acosta and Fajarda will comply with the court order to testify before the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

“We have not received any word from them as to whether or not they will appear in court. But if they will not comply with the subpoena issued by the impeachment court, then we will avail of the appropriate remedy para masigurado na macompel sila (so that they will be compelled) to attend and testify,” Tolosa said.

Tolosa said the prosecution is prepared to take measures within the rules to secure the testimony of Acosta and Fajarda gets to be on the record.

“We're hoping that they'll just follow the directive to appear before the impeachment court para hindi na magkaroon ang problema (so that there won’t be any problem). But in case they won't do that, what will follow is probably ask the court to issue a show cause order to these people to give them a chance to explain why they failed to show up,” Tolosa said.

“And if they cannot give a sufficient justification, the court will probably issue or cite them in contempt to compel their attendance. Those are some of the remedies that are immediately, that will be available to us in case they won't appear,” Tolosa added.

Wamil and del Campo are witnesses for the prosecution for Article 1, which accuses the Vice President of committing impeachable offenses due to systematic misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of confidential funds amounting to ₱500 million released to the OVP and ₱112.5 million released to the DepEd during her tenure as Education chief. — RSJ, GMA News