Information shared by the Department of Education with the Philippine Army on youth activities may have included students’ personal circumstances, such as teenage pregnancies and family matters, an Army colonel testified on Tuesday.

Col. Magtangol Panopio made the statement after Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian pressed him to explain a 2023 certification saying that information primarily obtained from the DepEd helped the Army identify areas for its Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) and information campaigns.

“I assume that it came from the teachers on the ground as members of the DepEd who provided us the information on how and where to conduct the YLS,” Panopio told the impeachment court trying Vice President Sara Duterte who was also DepEd secretary at one point.

Asked what confidential information the Army received specifically from the DepEd, Panopio qualified his answer as speculation.

“Maybe the personal circumstances like teenage pregnancies or other personal information that is confidential because it is their personal life,” he said.

Gatchalian clarified: “So it’s about the personal life of the students?”

“Yes, that’s my example only, your honor,” Panopio replied.

Panopio said other information exchanged with the Army concerned what was happening in communities, including terrorism, communism, drug abuse, parenting and family matters.

Gatchalian then asked how such information was used in choosing the schools and communities for the Army’s youth activities. Panopio said the Army considered communities with the greater needs and coordinated with local governments.

“We planned it where there was greater need in the community and, of course, this was in collaboration with the LGUs,” he said.

Certification used in fund liquidation

Panopio was also questioned about his 5 December 2023 certification, which the DepEd submitted to the Commission on Audit as part of its documentation for P15.54 million in confidential fund expenditures.

He said he did not know his certification would be used by the DepEd to support the liquidation of confidential funds until a congressional hearing in 2024.

“We were surprised because the certification was only for the Youth Leadership Summit we conducted. We did not certify anything about money or funds,” Panopio said.

The certification itself did not state an amount. It only attested to the conduct of the Army’s Youth Leadership Summit, the information for which was obtained primarily from the DepEd which helped identify areas for the activities.

Panopio said the certification was issued on his commander’s orders and in coordination with DepEd Undersecretary Nolasco Mempin.