AFP Col. Magtangggol Panopio Testifies in VP Duterte's Impeachment Trial

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Col. Magtangggol Panopio of the Philippine Army (PA) took the stand as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Panopio is the second military official to testify in the trial, following retired PA Col. Manaros Boransing II who testified on Tuesday. Panopio is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), class of 2000. According to the PMA's alumni registry, he previously served as the Brigade Ex-O or second-in-command of the PA's 5th Infantry Division, a unit based in Isabela. The exact period of his service in this post was not disclosed. By 2023, as a lieutenant colonel, he was the Commandant of the 5th Division Training School in Gamu, Isabela. Panopio had previously provided testimony on Duterte's confidential funds alongside Boransing during a House committee hearing concerning alleged misuse of these funds by the Department of Education (DepEd). The Commission on Audit (COA) had flagged the DepEd for P75 million in confidential funds lacking proper documentation. The DepEd later managed to justify most of these funds, except for P15.54 million. To support their justification, the DepEd, through then-spokesperson and now Duterte defense lawyer Michael Poa, requested Undersecretary Nolasco Mempin to secure a certification from the military regarding participation in the Youth Leadership Summit. Mempin complied. However, Panopio informed the House panel members that he was unaware the certification would be used to justify the confidential funds to the COA. He stated that if the PA had known the certificate's purpose, they would not have issued it. —VAL, GMA News