Cong. Atty. Luistro, Inungkat ang Confidential Funds ng DepEd na Ginamit sa Youth Leadership Summit

Saan napunta pondo? AFP officials deny receiving confidential fund from Sara Duterte-led DepEd for youth summit

Officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied receiving confidential funds from the Department of Education (DepEd) then under Vice President Sara Duterte for the conduct of the Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) in 2023.

During Thursday’s hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro asked retired Maj. Gen. Adonis Bajao, Lt. Col. Carlos Sangdaan Jr. and Colonels Manaros Boransing and Magtangol Panopio about the certifications they issued for the YLS.

These certifications were submitted by DepEd to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify the utilization of P15 million in confidential funds in paying rewards to informants.

The statement of Bajao, Sangdaan, Borasing, and Panopio that no DepEd confidential funds were used in the YLS was confirmed by retired Gen. Nolasco Mempin, who served as DepEd Undersecretary at the time.

“I was asked by the Office of the Secretary to ask for the certification coming from these units, but it is clear to them or even to me that no funds are involved, meaning no funds are released to these units. What the Office of the Secretary just wanted to know is the product or the result of the collaboration of various stakeholders including DepEd, with regard to our youth, so it is clear that DepEd has not released any single centavo to the conduct of YLS,” Mempin said.

Luistro then sought clarification, “If you are saying General Mempin that no DepEd funds were used for the Youth Leadership Summits, where did you spend the P15 million?”

“Your Honor, Mr. Chair, I was not aware of it because the task given to me is just to coordinate because to be candid about it, the commanders of Col. Boransing, Col. Panopio, and Lt. Col. Sangdaan are my former colleagues or classmates in the Philippine Military Academy,” Mempin noted.

Mempin said he was not aware that the certifications would be used to justify payments to informants.

Boransing stressed that the expenses of the YLS were funded by the Philippine Army and the local government units.

COA representative Atty. Gloria Camora confirmed that the P15 million used as rewards for informants was part of the P75 million confidential fund that COA flagged for lack of documentation.

Camora said the certifications were used by DepEd to account for the funds allegedly paid to informers.

Luistro stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in using public funds.

“Let us all be reminded na ito pong confidential fund na ito pera ng taumbayan, all of us are accountable to the Filipino citizens,” Luistro pointed out. “Public office is a public trust. We should be accountable to the people at all times.”

“Without the knowledge of [PA], the certifications were issued to DepEd to be able to justify the P15 million that was used allegedly for the payment of rewards. To this point, Mr. Chair, we’re not even sure if that money was indeed paid as rewards to the informers,” she added.

Luistro also used the famous line of Spiderman that “with great power comes great responsibility” in stressing his point about the use of public funds and public trust.

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