Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Philippine Army Col. Magtanggol Panopio testifies during the 20th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Allison Co

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — On the 20th day of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, September 1, the prosecution presented witnesses Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio, whose testimonies prosecution members said showed “fraudulent” liquidation of the Department of Education’s confidential funds.House prosecution spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur said the Department of Education &quot;used&quot; a long-running Armed Forces of the Philippines activity as a &quot;front&quot; to justify its use of confidential funds.“Pwede po natin ma-draw na conclusion na na-budol po ang AFP, ganun po ka-desperado ang Department of Education,&quot; he said.(We can draw the conclusion that the AFP was misled, that is how desperate the Department of Education was.)The prosecution presented the two officers in connection with the Youth Leadership Summit certifications that DepEd submiited to the Commission on Audit to justify the spending of P15 million in confidential funds in 2023.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/1/army-officer-says-no-confi-funds-provided-for-youth-leadership-summits-1343">Army officer says no confi funds provided for Youth Leadership Summits </a></div>Boransing and Panopio both testified that they issued the certifications only to confirm that the activities took place.They also said that they did not receive any funds from DepEd for the summits.Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante Jr. said the testimonies further highlighted alleged “deceit and fraud” since the military believed the certifications were not about money allegedly used for them.House prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua of Manila&#x27;s 3rd District said the testimonies of the two witnesses were consistent with what they had previously told lawmakers during the hearing before the House of Representatives last year.“Kumbaga ito finoformalize lang in a form of oath… hayaan natin na ang taumbayan ang humusga,” Chua added.(In a way, they just formalized it in a form of oath... let the people judge.)Abante also said that while the AFP witnesses maintained that they did not receive the P15 million allocated for the summits, Vice President Sara Duterte should be the one to explain where the money went.&quot;Kung paano ginamit yan, kung saan ginamit yan at kung bakit itinatanggi ng AFP na natanggap nila ang pera.&quot;(How the money was used, what it was used for, and why the AFP is saying it did not receive money.)The prosecution is set to present another hostile witness, Atty. Michael Poa, who served as DepEd undersecretary during Duterte’s tenure at the department, on Wednesday.Chua said the prosecution is nearing the end of its presentation for the first article of impeachment, with hopes of completing it next week.He added that the prosecution will finalize its decision on Wednesday on whether to trim its list of witnesses, including whether to present Col. Raymund Lachica, the former security officer of the Office of the Vice President.

On the 20th day of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, September 1, the prosecution presented witnesses Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio, whose testimonies prosecution members said showed “fraudulent” liquidation of the Department of Education’s confidential funds.

On the 20th day of the impeachment trial on Tuesday, September 1, the prosecution presented witnesses Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio, whose testimonies prosecution members said showed “fraudulent” liquidation of the Department of Education’s confidential funds.

Prosecution: AFP witnesses' testimony shows 'fraudulent' liquidation of DepEd funds

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Prosecution: AFP witnesses' testimony shows 'fraudulent' liquidation of DepEd funds

Allison Co,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 01, 2026 05:16 PM PHT

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Senate

Sara Duterte

impeachment trial

prosecution

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