Manila: The PHP15.54 million in confidential funds disallowed by state auditors came under scrutiny at the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday after an Army officer revealed that his unit typically spent only about PHP30,000 to PHP60,000 for each Youth Leadership Summit (YLS).
According to Philippines News Agency, Col. Manaros Boransing II, former assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations of the Philippine Army's 1st Infantry 'Tabak' Division, testified that the Army funded its own participation in the YLS and information, education, and communication (IEC) activities cited in a certification later submitted by the Department of Education (DepEd).
When questioned by Senator-Judge Bam Aquino about the cost of the eight YLS activities covered by the certification, Boransing stated that the amount varied. "I think for the Army, it's around PHP30,000 per activity," Boransing said, adding that one YLS in Lanao del Sur had a PHP60,000 budget. He emphasized that he could not estimate the total cost of each summit as local government units and other participating agencies shouldered expenses such as meals, shirts, and team-building activities.
Aquino compared these expenses with the PHP15.54 million in DepEd confidential funds questioned by the Commission on Audit (COA), which prosecutors claimed was spent on rewards for informants related to the activities. Aquino questioned the disparity, asking Boransing for his reaction to the information that PHP15 million was spent for surveillance and securing the event. Boransing refrained from commenting, citing the ongoing impeachment case.
House private prosecutor Reynaldo 'Rey' Robles informed the court that the PHP15.54 million was detailed in acknowledgment receipts as rewards for informants during the first and second quarters of 2023. Robles highlighted that the rewards generally ranged from PHP100,000 to PHP200,000 per informant, with some receipts showing unusual names.
The PHP15.54 million was part of the PHP75 million initially flagged by COA for insufficient documentation from DepEd's PHP112.5 million in confidential expenses in 2023. DepEd later submitted certifications from military units regarding the conduct of YLS activities to justify the questioned expenses.
Boransing, who issued one such certification, told the court he was unaware that the document he signed would be used for the liquidation of DepEd's confidential funds. He said the certification was requested by then-DepEd undersecretary and retired Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin, without mention of its intended purpose.
The Army office also asserted that the 1st Infantry Division did not receive any funds from DepEd for the 2023 activities referenced in the certification. Boransing clarified that the certification merely confirmed the participation of DepEd and other stakeholders in the YLS and IEC activities, without mentioning any financial support.
Previously, Boransing had testified on the same matter before the House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability during its 2024 investigation into the confidential funds managed by Vice President Sara Duterte as education secretary. During that inquiry, then-DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa indicated that he had asked Mempin to obtain certifications from military officials, assuming coordination between DepEd and the military.
Mempin testified that he was unaware of the certifications' purpose and that the military officials he approached, including Boransing, were his classmates at the Philippine Military Academy. Boransing maintained that the military would not have issued the certifications had its personnel not participated in the activities.
At the impeachment trial, Boransing clarified that while intelligence was used before YLS activities to identify target areas and potential recruits of extremist groups, no intelligence operations took place during the summits themselves. "The activity itself is a leadership summit, sir, with the youth, sir. And there are no intelligence operations when we do the specific activities," Boransing stated.
The DepEd confidential fund expenditures are a component of the impeachment case against Duterte.
