Sherwin Tinampay

Article (news)

#VPonTrial: Day 15

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O2ZJkT7JK90?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>Today is the 15th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The Senate impeachment court will continue to hear article 1 on the alleged misuse, questionable liquidation, and systematic misappropriation of confidential funds of Duterte.The defense team of the vice president is set to tackle the alleged misuse misuse of her office&#x27;s confidential funds when it cross-examines state auditor Xylene Mae Del Campo.<div> </div>2:35 p.m. - Escudero says session will be at 4 p.m. and they will try to finish with Del Campo today. 2:33 p.m. - Kapunan to Del Campo: &quot;Masasabi mo ba na itong chain of custody ay may interruption ng dokumento? Meron bang substitution meron bang alteration itong dokumento na sinubmit ng Vice President at ng DepEd?&quot; Del Campo: &quot;Hindi po kasi yung opisina po namin is kami lang din po ang nandoon and may nakabantay po rito na security guard 24 hours and yung document po na ito nakalagay po ito sa cabinet na naka-lock.&quot; 2:29 p.m. - Del Campo confirms to Kapunan that the integrity and completeness of the documents left by Wamil to COA-ICFAO remains complete. 2:28 p.m. - Ferrer finishes with her cross examination.  Kapunan proceeds with her redirect examination. 2:27 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo if under the Joint Circular, the House of Representatives Committee on Justice is among persons authorized to handle the audit of confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd. She says the COA, during the Committee on Justice hearing,  transmitted documents to the Committee.  Del Campo says based on the JC, the audit is the responsibility of the COA-ICFAO, but it was requested through a subpoena. 2:19 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo if COA is an independent body and the latter says yes.  Ferrer then points out that although COA is independent, it adopted the results of the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.  Kapunan objects, says question is misleading.  Escudero allows Ferrer to proceed. He says Ferrer is probably referring to COA&#x27;s Notice of Disallowance dated March 31, 2026 saying &quot;with due consideration of evidence during the CGGPA hearings.&quot;  Del Campo says they just based on the admissions under oath. 2:01 p.m. - There was a credit notice for DepEd in August 8, 2024 meaning P75 million of confidential funds was allowed in audit.  Del Campo says the DepEd was able to comply with the findings in the AOM. 1:58 p.m. - Del Campo says there was no finding regarding the OVP&#x27;s spending of confidential fund within 11 days in 2022. She confirms it was only mentioned as a statement of fact. 1:53 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo about the statement of Atty. Gloria Camora of the COA-ICFAO during a House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing in September 18, 2024.Kapunan interjects, says the counsel for the respondent should present Camora, instead.Escudero says the counsel for the respondent can confront Del Campo through another way. 1:41 p.m. - Del Campo says the names on the acknowledgment receipts such as Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piatos, Ralph Josh Bacon, Andy Lim, and Anne Ongpauco are not in the Notice of Disallowance.  Ferrer asks -- If a name appears funny, does it mean the name is fictitious? Kapunan says the point of flashing the acknowledgment receipts was not the names which were incidental. She says they were flashed because of the manner by which the funds were used.Escudero tells Kapunan to give Ferrer her share of fun with the names.  Del Campo says she cannot answer Ferrer&#x27;s question. 1:32 p.m. - Del Campo reiterates that they do not conduct verification of the identity of payees of acknowledgment receipts, says what they do is compliance audit based on documents. 1:29 p.m. - Del Campo confirms that all her tabulations for all the quarters in 2023 for DepEd and OVP do not contain the names and places in acknowledgment receipts.  1:26 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo about her tabulation of acknowledgment receipts from DepEd and OVP.  For the first quarter of 2023 for DepEd, Del Campo says they did not include the place of payment. She explains that they presumed regularity because there was an attached certification under oath from the Special Disbursing Officer. 1:20 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo if the COA relies on liquidation documents submitted by an agency for its audit.  Del Campo says they can also rely on available information and documents as stated in the Joint Circular such as information that came from the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. 1:09 p.m. - Escudero says Kapunan already withdrew that statement.  Kapunan reiterates her promise to behave. 1:08 p.m. - Ferrer makes a manifestation, asks the impeachment court to not allow side comments like &quot;I was about to spank her. I was about to lecture her.&quot; Ferrer: &quot;Yung mga ganoon ho, Your honor,  wala ho &#x27;yung lugar dito sa courtroom because we are all lawyers here, wa are all professionals. Igalang naman ho natin yung kapwa natin na laywer. Halimbawa, kagaya nito, mas matanda po sa akin si Atty. Lorna Kapunan, maybe she has more years of experience. She has 48 years, I have 15. We should learn to respect each other.&quot; 1:04 p.m. - Trial resumes. 12:18 p.m. - The Senate impeachment trial court takes a brief recess. Trial will resume at 1 p.m.12:18 p.m. - Ferrer also asks Del Campo if the COA-ICFAO is privy to the confidential operations of an agency, particularly of the OVP.  Del Campo says no and that they only base their audit on liquidation documents. 12:17 p.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo if COA is in a better position than an agency to judge whether an information is confidential or not.  Del Campo says they base their decision on the response of an agency and the determination is still appealable to the Supreme Court. 12:01 p.m. - Del Campo says sales invoices and official receipts are more acceptable as proof of purchase of items. She clarifies that they accept acknowledgment receipts for the purchase of information. 11:59 a.m. - Ferrer shows section 34b of the National Internal Revenue Code and asks if based on this, is it required to submit invoices for the expense to be deductible.  Kapunan objects, says gross income does not have anything to do with confidential fund. 11:47 a.m. - Ferrer shows Del Campo COA Circular 92-385 of 1992.  Kapunan points out that this Circular is no longer in effect.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786506817565DOCUMENT4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Photo courtesy: Senate 11:45 a.m. - Ferrer says the COA-ICFAO, in its Notice of Disallowance for the fourth quarter of 2022 to the OVP, removed the requirement of official receipts and sales invoices for the evidence of payment.  </div>Del Campo confirms this. 11:32 a.m. - Ferrer asks Del Campo about the Notice of Disallowance and whether the Joint Circular explicitly states that such notice can be issued directly if there is a violation of section 6.1.1 and skip the issuance of a Notice of Suspension.  Del Campo says a Notice of Disallowance may be issued if there is illegal, irregular disbursement, but confirms that there is no explicit provision. 11:25 a.m. - Del Campo says other offices she have audited attached documents showing payment of rewards with apprehension. 11:21 a.m. - Escudero himself clarifies with Del Campo if an apprehension is needed to prove the success of information gathering or surveillance activities.  Del Campo says this is not explicitly stated in the Joint Circular, but is based on her professional judgment and evaluation of documents. 11:19 a.m. - Tense moment in the courtroom as Kapunan and Ferrer clash.  Ferrer was asking Del Campo about surveillance work as defined in Joint Circular 2015-01 and if it said that there should be apprehension as proof of success of the payment of reward.  Kapunan asked the presiding officer to instruct the counsel for the respondent to not stop the witness at mid-sentence.  Ferrer asked the presiding officer to instruct the witness to answer with a yes or no.  Kapunan said not all questions can be answered with yes or no.  Ferrer: &quot;I am on cross, your honor, please.&quot; Kapunan:  &quot;Nevermind if you&#x27;re on cross. There are limits to cross examination. Misleading questions are not allowed on cross.&quot; Ferrer: &quot;They are allowed.&quot; Escudero: &quot;Let’s not allow the generational or seeming generational divide increase the tension in the courtroom.&quot; Kapunan: &quot;I am preventing myself from giving her a spanking. That is what I would have done in the generational divide.&quot; Escudero: &quot;You are all members of the bar, and you are all counsel for the parties and we will be treating and looking at each one equally.&quot; Kapunan: &quot;I promise to henceforth behave.&quot; Ferrer: &quot;I have high respect for Atty. Kapunan. In fact she is one of my idols.&quot; Kapunan: &quot;Let&#x27;s end here. It might sound like a eulogy, Your honor, I’m still very much alive.&quot; Ferrer: &quot;Kahapon nga hindi ko nga siya kinukulit di ba kahit may mga questions na leading, hindi naman allowed yun sa direct examination. I respected her.&quot; 11:05 a.m. - Kapunan objects, says Ferrer&#x27;s line of questioning is about intelligence funds when the issue is about confidential funds.  Escudero allows Ferrer to rephrase her question. 11:03 a.m. - Ferrer points out that the OVP included PIORs for the first to third quarter of 2023, says despite these, Del Campo still issued a Notice of Disallowance.  The witness maintains that the PIORs and Certifications from Lachica were not sufficient to show the success of information gathering. 10:57 a.m. - Ferrer also shows the Protective Intelligence Operations Report (PIOR) for the engagements of Duterte for the second and third quarters of 2023.  Del Campo agrees that activities mentioned by Ferrer are part of surveillance activities such as intel fusion for threat assessment and situation update, and final briefing to intel operatives and informants. 10:52 a.m. - Ferrer shows a timeline of activities based on the Protective Intelligence Operations Report for the engagements of Vice President Sara Duterte for the first quarter of 2023 prepared by Lachica.  Del Campo confirms that the activities mentioned by Ferrer are related to intelligence gathering such as liaising with intel operatives and profiling of participants.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786503367153DOCUMENT2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Photo courtesy: Senate</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786503388672DOCUMENT3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Photo courtesy: Senate 10:43 a.m. - Ferrer shows Del Campo a copy of a certification from Col. Raymund Dante Lachica of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group detailing their surveillance and information gathering activities.  </div>Del Campo says this didn&#x27;t pass the evaluation for proof of success of intelligence activities.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786503289653DOCUMENT1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Photo courtesy: Senate 10:32 a.m. - &quot;The counsel cannot dictate how I will proceed with my cross examination,&quot; says Ferrer after Kapunan objected to her use of the defense&#x27;s copy of a COA Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM).  </div>Kapunan says the counsel for the respondent is constrained to use the prosecution&#x27;s copy because they did not stipulate or agree on the documents.Escudero says that is water under the bridge and may be the subject of Kapunan&#x27;s redirect examination later on.  Ferrer presents their copy of the AOM to Del Campo. 10:27 a.m. - Del Campo says she is is assigned to audit the confidential funds of national government agencies including the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd).  She says former COA Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) state auditor Roderick Wamil turned his files over to their custodian after he was transferred to a different COA office.  Wamil prepared the AOM for the fourth quarter of 2022 for the OVP as well as the first two quarters of 2023. 10:19 a.m. - Kapunan reiterates that they have finished their direct examination.Atty. Kristine Ferrer, counsel for the respondent, proceeds with her cross examination. 10:18 a.m. - Senator-judge and Presiding Officer Francis Escudero says the impeachment court received last night the acknowledgment receipts from the counsel for the respondent. These documents, similar to the acknowledgment receipts of the prosecution, are certified true copies. He says they will rule on the request of the prosecution at the appropriate time. 10:13 a.m. - Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the panel of prosecutors, requests that Del Campo appear before the impeachment clerk of court to identify and authenticate the documents of the prosecution and defense teams. She explains that this is to preempt any technical objection in the future on the issue of identification and authentication of the separate acknowledgment receipts. 10:03 a.m. - Quorum is declared with 18 senator-judges present.10 a.m. - The Senate impeachment trial court convenes. Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo leads the opening prayer.<div> </div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/live-updates-vice-president-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-day-14-0956">LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s Impeachment Trial (Day 14)</a></div><div> </div><div>Refresh this page for the latest updates on the impeachment trial of the vice president.</div>

Follow this article for the 15th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Follow this article for the 15th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial (Day 15)

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LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial (Day 15)

Victoria Tulad,

Sherwin Tinampay,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 12, 2026 09:57 AM PHT

|

Updated August 12, 2026 02:38 PM PHT

Read More:

Vice President

Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte

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Impeachment Trial

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