Manila: Vice President Sara Duterte's defense counsel, Michael Wesley Poa, confirmed on Wednesday that she ordered the transfer of PHP112.5 million in confidential funds from the Department of Education (DepEd) to the agency's chief security officer.

According to Philippines News Agency, Poa, serving as a prosecution hostile witness, made this statement during a questioning session led by private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa. The focus of the inquiry was on the alleged misuse of confidential funds, which came under scrutiny during a hearing at the House of Representatives in November 2024. The hearing involved testimony from then DepEd special disbursement officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda.

Tolosa referred to the transcript of stenographic notes, recalling a moment when House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez questioned Fajarda about who authorized the transfer of DepEd's confidential funds to the department's security officer, identified as Col. Dennis Nolasco. Fajarda had indicated that Vice President Sara Duterte had given the directive.

During the questioning, Tolosa asked Poa for confirmation of Fajarda's statement. Poa acknowledged, albeit with some reservation about the exact wording, that Vice President Duterte had indeed instructed the transfer. Tolosa emphasized the importance of precision, clarifying that Duterte had explicitly authorized Nolasco to manage the disbursement of the funds.

The defense objected to the continued questioning on Fajarda's House testimony, with chief defense counsel Sheila Sison reminding the prosecution about an existing subpoena request for Fajarda. Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo noted the relevance of the stenographic notes, which detailed Fajarda's statements.

Presiding officer Senator Francis Escudero upheld the objection, indicating that the questions were more appropriate for Fajarda than for Attorney Poa. Poa's confirmation aligns with previous testimony from former Office of the Vice President SDO Gina Acosta, who stated that Vice President Duterte ordered a similar transfer of PHP500 million in confidential funds to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, then commander of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.