Kapunan: Impeachment issues repetitive because ‘truth is never new’

MANILA, Philippines — The issues raised in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial — like the youth summits used to justify the use of confidential funds (CF) — only appear to be repetitive because the truth doesn’t change, lawyer Lorna Kapunan said on Tuesday.

Kapunan, a member of the prosecution panel, was asked about observations from netizens that the testimony of Philippine Army (PA) Col. Manaros Boransing II regarding the Department of Education (DepEd) use of Army-funded programs to justify its CF was not new.

Boransing reiterated before the Senate Impeachment Court that both the Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and the Information Education Campaign (IEC) used allocations under the PA and not CF or regular funds of DepEd under Duterte or the Office of the Vice President (OVP).  This, however, was already revealed in a 2024 congressional inquiry before the House of Representatives.

READ: DepEd under Duterte makes it seem it’s funding AFP training – solon 

“Well, there is nothing new because the truth is never new, the truth is always the truth,” Kapunan said in an ambush interview while the impeachment court took a break.

“The truth being the testimony in the House showed that the confidential funds were not used for this, and that was just affirmed,” she added.

Kapunan also stressed that even if the matter was already covered in the House, it should be brought up before the Senate Impeachment Court because the House proceedings were not the trial proper.

“No, because this is the court, this is the Senate Impeachment Court.  The House was not a Senate impeachment (court), the House was not a mini-trial.  The (proceedings in the) House were a house committee (investigation)… in aid of legislation,” she explained.

“Ito naman ang (This one is the) impeachment court, this is the proper venue for presenting documents,” she added.

During the trial on Tuesday, Boransing said that PA did not receive any CF or regular funds from DepEd under Duterte, OVP, or even the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) for the implementation of the YLS and the IEC — two anti-communist recruitment initiatives of the Army.

READ: Army execs: No DepEd funds certification if we had known actual use

Boransing’s answer was prompted by the question of counsel for the prosecution Reynaldo Robles, as the DepEd under Duterte cited the YLS and the IEC as activities that would justify the use of their CFs in 2023.  

But Robles’ inquiry was similar to the questions thrown at Boransing and other PA officials who attended an October 17, 2024, House committee on good government and public accountability hearing.  It was a congressional inquiry on the alleged anomalous use of CFs within Duterte’s offices.

During that hearing, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro — who eventually became the lead public prosecutor for the impeachment — observed that DepEd under Duterte made it seem that they used P15.54 million of its CF in 2023 for the two programs when it was the Army and local government units who shouldered the expenses.

When Boransing said that they used their own funds, Luistro asked retired Education Undersecretary and Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin if it was true that DepEd did not allocate funds for the YLS since it is an AFP program.

Mempin replied in the affirmative.

Also, Luistro was able to solicit a confirmation from the Commission on Audit (COA) that the acknowledgement receipts used by DepEd to show how the P15.54 million CF was spent pointed towards the YLS.

However, DepEd labeled this disbursement as rewards to informers.

Boransing and other PA officials told the House panel that they would have not given DepEd certifications for the YLS if they knew that DepEd would use it to justify confidential expenses for reward of informants.

Boransing is the eighth witness presented by the prosecution for Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, or the allegations that the CFs for Duterte’s offices were misused.

Prior to Boransing, the prosecution panel presented two Land Bank of the Philippines officials from which OVP and DepEd withdrew their CFs; COA auditors who checked on the offices’ confidential expenditures; and OVP staffers like former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta.

Last August 24, Acosta testified before the impeachment court that she released OVP’s CFs Col. Raymund Dante Lachica of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) even if she knew that Lachica was not a bonded officer.

Like Boransing, Acosta also appeared before the House committee on good government and public accountability.  During a November 2024 hearing of the panel, Acosta also admitted that it was Duterte who ordered the release of the CFs to Lachica. /mr