“A LITTLE SURPRISED” Tuesday’s testimony from Col. Manaros Boransing II casts doubt on an earlier justification given for the use of confidential funds by the Department of Education. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Army received no money from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the Department of Education (DepEd), or the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) for two youth programs that DepEd later cited to justify P15.54 million in confidential fund spending, an Army officer testified on Tuesday.
Col. Manaros Boransing II, former assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations of the Army’s 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division, told the Senate impeachment court that the division conducted the 2023 Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and Information Education Campaign (IEC) using its own allocations.
“There was no funding released to the 1st Infantry Division from DepEd, Sir, of any source,” Boransing said under questioning by private prosecutor Reynaldo Robles on Day 20 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Asked whether the OVP or VPSPG had provided confidential funds for the activities, Boransing reiterated: “For 2023, Sir, there were no funds from other any government agency released to the First Infantry Division.”
The programs were intended to prevent young people from being recruited by violent extremist groups, he said.
The testimony highlighted a disconnect between the Army’s account of the programs and DepEd documents that the prosecution says were used to support the liquidation of P15.54 million in confidential fund rewards in 2023.
Boransing said he issued certifications confirming the participation of DepEd and other stakeholders in the YLS and IEC after DepEd requested them.
But the certificates did not state that DepEd had spent money on the activities, much less confidential or intelligence funds, he said.
Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros asked whether his certification could be treated as proof that DepEd properly disbursed its confidential funds.
“No, Ma’am,” Boransing replied.
“The certification was [for] their (DepEd) and other stakeholders’ participation in the Youth Leadership Summit and the Information Education Communication Campaign.”
The certification contained no specific funds, expenditures or amounts, he said.
“There was no mention of any [DepEd] funds in the certification that we issued,” Boransing added.
He also said he had no personal knowledge of how DepEd paid for its participation.
“I don’t know how they paid for their expenses,” he said.
The prosecution has alleged that the Army certifications were among documents used by DepEd to support its claim that confidential funds were spent on rewards to informants.
Boransing said he did not know the certificates would later be used as liquidation documents for confidential fund spending. The documents were intended only to confirm that the activities took place and that participating agencies were present, he said.
There was no intelligence gathering during the summits, he added.
Col. Magtangol Panopio, another prosecution witness, likewise testified that he issued a certification that DepEd later used in liquidating confidential funds in 2024.
Panopio said he was unaware that his certification would be used to help liquidate P15.54 million in confidential-fund rewards.
“We were a little surprised because our certification is only for the certification that we conducted the Youth Leadership Summit. We did not certify anything about money or funds,” he told the court.
Army had funded programs
The YLS and IEC were Army-led initiatives conducted with DepEd and other government agencies.
Boransing’s testimony echoed statements he and other Army officials made during a 2024 House committee inquiry into the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the OVP and DepEd.
Relevant portions of the House hearings were shown during Tuesday’s trial.
Army officials told the House panel that the Army and local governments had shouldered the costs of the activities and that they would not have issued certifications had they known DepEd would use them to justify confidential fund rewards.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, now the lead public prosecutor in Duterte’s impeachment trial, noted during that inquiry that DepEd appeared to have claimed P15.54 million in confidential-fund spending for activities actually undertaken and funded by the Army and local governments.
Retired Education Undersecretary and Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin also confirmed that DepEd did not allocate funds for the YLS because it was an AFP program.
Prosecution lawyer Lorna Kapunan acknowledged outside the courtroom that Boransing’s testimony was not new but said it reaffirmed what had emerged during the House inquiry.
“The truth being the testimony in the House showed that the confidential funds were not used for this, and that was just affirmed,” Kapunan said.
She said the House proceedings were an inquiry in aid of legislation, not a trial, making the Senate impeachment court the proper venue for the evidence.
Intelligence for safety
Boransing also clarified the role of military intelligence in the programs after Senator-judge Sherwin Gatchalian asked whether the Army used intelligence information in choosing locations for the YLS and IEC.
Yes, but primarily to protect participants, Boransing said.
“The primary criteria is the safety of the students, the youth. So, the venue, wherever it is, has to be safe from attacks and other things,” he said.
DepEd provided open-source information about students, including potential youth leaders and schools that could host the activities.
Intelligence gathering and processing, however, were handled by AFP intelligence units, not civil-military operations personnel, Boransing said.
The distinction figured in questions about whether the activities could justify confidential- or intelligence-fund spending.
Boransing maintained that his certification did not attest to any such spending.
Senator-judge Joel Villanueva asked what he intended when he issued certifications for the joint YLS and school campaigns.
Boransing said he was merely certifying that the routine civil-military activities had been conducted and that participating agencies were present.
Asked why his unit did not question DepEd’s request despite having no role in its confidential-fund use, Boransing said: “For me personally sir, I had no reaction sir. We were preoccupied with very important security matters in our area of operation.”
‘No’ Duterte attendance
Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo asked whether Duterte attended any of the Army’s YLS activities in 2023.
Boransing said, “No.”
Boransing and Panopio were the eighth and ninth prosecution witnesses, respectively, for Article I, which deals with the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The prosecution has previously presented Landbank officials who testified on the withdrawal of confidential funds by the OVP and DepEd, Commission on Audit auditors who examined the expenditures, and former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta.
Acosta testified on Aug. 24 that she released P125 million in OVP confidential funds to then VPSPG chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica in December 2022, despite knowing that he was not a bonded officer.
Like Boransing, Acosta had previously appeared before the House inquiry and said Duterte ordered the release of the funds to Lachica.