Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 12: COA witness testimony continues

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte enters its 12th day with the continuation of testimony from a Commission on Audit (COA) witness concerning allegations of misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds. Roderick Wamil, a former state auditor from COA's Intelligence and Confidential Funds Office (COA-ICFAO), is expected to return to the witness stand when the impeachment court resumes at 10 a.m. Wamil has been testifying on audit reports and disallowances related to confidential funds, specifically P500 million from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million from the Department of Education (DepEd). According to the impeachment court spokesperson, the prosecution panel has yet to establish the connection between Wamil's testimony and that of two former LandBank managers from last week. The prosecution intends to ask Wamil questions to link the large cash withdrawals testified to by the LandBank officials with the release of funds currently being testified on by the COA auditor. "Mr. Wamil was just talking about the audit he did and the disallowance. Our House prosecution panel has not yet made a connection. As you can see, the initial documents presented were only about the audit report," the spokesperson said. "So let’s wait for the House prosecution panel to ask that kind of question to Mr. Wamil so they can connect the withdrawals that the LandBank officials testified on last week and the release of money that COA auditor Mr. Wamil is investigating now," he added. Aside from Wamil, the Senate impeachment court had also previously issued subpoenas to COA ICFAO state auditor Celine May Del Campo, as well as House of Representatives Legislative Information Resources Management Department director Marivic Pareja. The impeachment complaint stems from allegations that Duterte misused confidential funds, comprising P500 million from the OVP and P112.5 million from the Department of Education. Violeta Constantino, former Landbank Shaw Boulevard branch manager, and Nenita Camposano, former Landbank DepEd branch manager, previously testified that the staggered, large cash withdrawals by respective special disbursing officers of the OVP and DepEd were "unusual." This trial is being closely watched as it highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in Philippine politics, with calls for rigorous, evidence-based scrutiny of public fund utilization to maintain public trust.