Jonathan Frederic De Santos

The Senate impeachment court resumed hearing witness testimony on Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential fund expenditures on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Voltaire Domingo, Senate Social Media Unit

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The Senate impeachment court resumed hearing witness testimony on Vice President Sara Duterte's confidential fund expenditures on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Voltaire Domingo, Senate Social Media Unit 

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786444525695178643601091120260805-senate-impeachment-day12-SSMU-VD17.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="The Senate impeachment court resumed hearing witness testimony on Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s confidential fund expenditures on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Voltaire Domingo, Senate Social Media Unit "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Senate impeachment court resumed hearing witness testimony on Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s confidential fund expenditures on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. <em>Voltaire Domingo, Senate Social Media Unit </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The prosecution on Tuesday raised the alleged use of confidential funds for Christmas gatherings and tree-planting activities as it continued direct examination of an auditor who evaluated spending by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.</p><p>Testifying at the Senate impeachment court, state auditor Xylene Mae Del Ocampo of the Commission on Audit-Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office said documents that the OVP submitted to justify confidential spending in December 2022 mentioned &quot;Partners Appreciation Night&quot; and &quot;Christmas Activity and Exploration Meeting&quot;.</p><p>She said those activities, as well as tree-planting, wheelchair distribution, and a medical mission are <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/auditor-ovp-confidential-funds-used-for-christmas-activities-tree-planting-1221">not among the allowed uses of confidential funds</a> under Joint Circular No. 2015-01 .  </p><p>Payments to informants were also not supported by &quot;proof of success of information gathering to support the payment of rewards&quot;, she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;FULLER PICTURE&#x27;</strong></div><p>Members of the prosecution, speaking at a briefing, said Del Ocampo&#x27;s testimony helped give a &quot;fuller picture&quot; of alleged irregularities in the use of the confidential funds.</p><p>“&#x27;Yung mga pangalan, yung mga petsa, at the physical impossibility to disburse yung ganoon karaming pera sa isang particular date sa ganoon karaming lokasyon sa buong bansa,” <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/-fuller-picture-of-irregularities-emerges-in-impeachment-hearing-house-prosecution-1632">Kabataan Party-List Rep. Renee Co, one of the panel spokespersons, said</a>.</p><p>(<a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/another-piatos-politicians-surnames-emerge-in-ovp-confidential-fund-receipts-1227">The names</a>, the dates, and the physical impossibility to disburse that much money on a particular date in so many locations across the Philippines.)</p><p>Co was referring to acknowledgement receipts for confidential funds that indicate DepEd Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda released money in seven areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on February 21, 2023. </p><p>Acknowledgement receipts also suggested another 18 disbursements in places as far apart as Laoag, Ilocos Norte and Compostela Valley, Davao de Oro on February 25, 2023.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/-superman-receipts-show-duterte-former-sdo-visited-several-provinces-in-one-day-1541"><strong>‘Superman?’: Receipts show Duterte former SDO visited several provinces in one day to disburse confidential funds</strong></a></div><p>“Kung hindi man Superman ang isang SDO, kaya niya bang puntahan lahat ng ito?” Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the prosecution, said. </p><p>(If the SDO isn&#x27;t Superman, can he go to all these places?)</p><p>Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected to the comment.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;DIRECT VIOLATION&#x27;</strong></div><p>Del Ocampo also cited 2024 testimony by Office of the Vice President SDO Gina Acosta at a House hearing that Duterte allegedly order the release in 2023 of millions of pesos in confidential funds to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, the head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group at the time.</p><p>She said that was a &quot;direct violation&quot; the joint circular, which prohibits the transfer of funds from one accountable officer to another.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/witness-duterte-s-alleged-release-of-confidential-funds-to-security-chief-violated-rules-1600"><strong>Witness: Duterte&#x27;s alleged release of confidential funds to security chief violated rules<br/></strong></a></div><p>She said Acosta&#x27;s testimony at the House hearing was one of the factors that led to a Notice of Disallowance for P375 million in confidential expenses spent in 2023. </p><p>She said that a Notice of Disallowance means the &quot;transaction appears to be illegal, improper or irregular&quot;. </p><p>Transferring the money to Lachica was &quot;a direct violation, making the transaction irregular&quot;, she also said.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>AFP CERTIFICATION ACCEPTED</strong></div><p>The state auditor also told the court, however, that not all the confidential spending flagged was disallowed.</p><p>She said the DepEd submitted certifications from military units to support the payments for information and of rewards,</p><p>&quot;During my evaluation, compliant ito doon sa joint circular,&quot; she said.</p><p>(During my evaluation, these were compliant with the joint circular.)</p><p>During earlier direct examination by Kapunan, the auditor said Joint Circular No. 2015-01 does not specify the kind of proof needed but that auditors want to see &quot;a particular accomplishment&quot; attributed to the information paid for.</p><p>&quot;Meron bang nahuli, mga ganoon (Was anyone arrested? Something like that),&quot; she said.</p><p>She said COA issued a Credit Notice to DepEd for the first and second quarter of 2023, which means &quot;liquidiation documents are found in order and passed in audit.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/deped-has-credit-notice-for-confidential-funds-defense-1623"><strong>DepEd has credit notice for confidential funds — defense</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>POA GLAD CREDIT NOTICE FINALLY MENTIONED</strong></div><p>Speaking in a separate briefing after the trial, Atty. Michael Poa of the defense panel welcomed the mention of the credit notice.</p><p>&quot;In fact, dati pa namin sinasabi &#x27;yan — kahit nung mga committee hearings pa lang — na talagang may Credit Notice yung DepEd,&quot; he said.</p><p>(In fact, we have been saying that all along. Even during the committee hearings.)</p><p>He acknowledged, as Del Ocampo also told the Senate impeachment court, that COA can review a &quot;settled account&quot; up to three years after the Credit Notice was issued.</p><p>“On the part of defense, at least nailabas na talaga categorically na may Credit Notice ang DepEd for the first and second quarter ng paggamit ng confidential fund,” he said.</p><p>(On the part of the defense, at least it categorically came out that DepEd has a Credit Notice for the first and second quarter of using the confidential fund.) <strong>— Jonathan de Santos, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><em>--</em></div><div><em>Trial resumes at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12</em></div>

<p>The prosecution on Tuesday raised the alleged use of confidential funds for Christmas gatherings and tree-planting activities as it continued direct examination of an auditor who evaluated spending by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.</p>

The prosecution on Tuesday raised the alleged use of confidential funds for Christmas gatherings and tree-planting activities as it continued direct examination of an auditor who evaluated spending by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

WRAP: Prosecution flags Christmas events, 'Superman' disbursements in confidential spending

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WRAP: Prosecution flags Christmas events, 'Superman' disbursements in confidential spending

ABS-CBN News

Published August 11, 2026 08:00 PM PHT

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Updated August 11, 2026 11:01 PM PHT

Read More:

Impeachment

Sara Duterte

Office of the Vice President

Department of Education

Xylene Mae Del Ocampo

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