Stick to facts, House spox lectures Robin
The issue was not whether confidential funds could theoretically be useful, but whether they were properly used.
The issue was not whether confidential funds could theoretically be useful, but whether they were properly used.
It was the House prosecution spokesperson doing the lecturing and the senator-judge doing the asking, as Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong urged Robin Padilla to drop the hypotheticals and “get back to reality” in questioning the use of Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds.
Adiong made the remarks after Padilla asked whether the recent school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga could have been prevented if the Department of Education (DepEd) had confidential funds.
“Let us not waste our time on hypothetical questions. Let’s get back to reality. When DepEd requested confidential funds when Vice President Sara Duterte was secretary, were the funds properly implemented?” Adiong said during a press briefing.
He said testimonies from Duterte’s staff had established that part of the confidential funds was used as additional pay for her security personnel, while questions remained over how the funds were spent.
Adiong said the issue was not whether confidential funds could theoretically be useful, but whether they were properly used.
“Out of the DepEd confidential funds in the first, second, and third quarter, there were already some that were hit with an initial issuance of disallowance. What that means is that the question is not really about the confidential funds but how it was spent,” he said.
Laws needed
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co said Education Secretary Sonny Angara did not request confidential funds because DepEd was not in a position to seek such funding.
Co also rejected the idea that school shootings could be addressed simply by giving DepEd access to confidential funds, saying the problem required broader measures.
“What if the money that was used for confidential and intelligence funds were placed on mental health professionals, was placed for the construction of classrooms so that the youth would no longer struggle and lead to the school shootings we are currently experiencing,” she said.
She said legislation, rather than confidential funds, should address school safety and other factors contributing to violence.
Prosecutors are expected to resume their presentation of witnesses on the DepEd confidential funds on Tuesday, 1 September, including military personnel who signed liquidation reports submitted to the Commission on Audit.
The panel also intends to present former Education undersecretary and Duterte defense lawyer Michael Wesley Poa, who was identified as a prospective witness during the 26 August hearing.
