Link of confidential funds to encashed checks yet to be established --impeachment spox

The House prosecution panel has yet to establish that the cash withdrawals by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) from 2022 to 2023, totalling P612.5 million, were part of confidential funds, impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol said Wednesday. Tongol said this after the prosecution presented Violeta Constantino and Nenita Camposano---former bank managers of LandBank's Shaw Boulevard and DepEd Pasig branches, respectively---during the 10th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. “Based po do’n sa mga testimonya kanina, there was no testimony from the witnesses that they actually knew that the funds were to be used for the said purpose. So ‘yun po ‘yung i-eestablish pa siguro ng mga susunod na mga witnesses ng House prosecution panel,” he said in an interview. (Based on the testimonies earlier, there was no testimony from the witnesses that they actually knew that the funds were to be used for the said purpose. So that is something that will probably be established by the next witnesses to be presented by the House prosecution panel.) Both Constantino and Camposano testified on Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which concerns Duterte’s alleged misuse of a total of P612.5 million in confidential funds—P500 million from the OVP, and P112.5 million from the DepEd. However, during the trial, both of them said they had no idea that the cash withdrawals made in their respective branches were for confidential funds. According to Tongol, the prosecution witnesses only testified based on their personal knowledge of the transaction regarding the withdrawal and encashment of the checks. “Their personal knowledge is limited to those facts alone,” he added. He also expressed belief that the prosecution only laid down the flow of money during Wednesday’s trial and will present a competent witness in the coming days. “Nung tinanong sila kung mag-pepresent pa sila ng expert na gumagamit ng intelligence funds ni Senator-Judge Ping Lacson, they said that they have reserved witnesses for that. So they will be able to show, and even the defense will be able to show kung paano nga ba yung kina-classify ang funds and paano hinahawakan ng isang intelligence or confidential fund ng isang ahensya,” Tongol said. (When asked by Senator-Judge Ping Lacson if they would present an expert regarding the use of intelligence funds—they said they have reserved witnesses for that purpose. Thus, the prosecution, and even the defense, are expected to show how such funds are classified and how an agency manages intelligence or confidential funds.)—LDF, GMA News