Palace: Senator-judge's claim on confidential fund liability 'most damaging'

Malacañang on Thursday hit a senator-judge's remark that only special disbursing officers (SDOs) should be held liable for alleged misuse of confidential funds, calling it the "most damaging" and "most biased" statement made during the impeachment trial. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro pointed out that the senator-judge's focus on SDOs overlooked the responsibility of the head of agency. "That only the SDO should be held accountable. They seem to have forgotten about the head of agency," Castro said. This statement came after Senator-judge Imee Marcos argued before the Senate impeachment court, questioning Commission on Audit (COA) state auditor Roderick Wamil, that only the SDO should be held accountable as President Duterte was not the payee of the cash advances. Marcos cited a joint circular on confidential and intelligence funds and referred to former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and former Department of Education (DepEd) special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda. However, Wamil countered Marcos' interpretation, explaining that the head of the agency is responsible for approving cash advances, monitoring fund utilization, and ensuring the proper use of confidential funds. The presidential spokesperson also stressed that senator-judges must be impartial in the impeachment trial, alluding to some whom she accused of “brushing aside the law” and “lawyering for the defense.” “Many have come out from the impeachment, according to PCO, that some are acting lawyers when they should not be because senator-judges must be impartial, unbiased. So they are not mandated to brush aside the law,” Castro said in Filipino. The presidential spokesperson further emphasized that senator-judges should not debate with and cross-examine the witness. "The judge asks questions for clarification. What they are making are clarificatory questions. They should not cross-examine the witness," she said. The impeachment trial is currently focused on Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd). The debate highlights ongoing discussions about public fund management and accountability in the Philippines.