At least 23 unusual names, including some resembling those of public figures and others associated with food, appeared on selected acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to support its confidential fund expenditures in 2023.
The receipts were presented Tuesday during the Senate impeachment court proceedings, where Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Xylene Mae Del Campo testified on the documents submitted by the OVP to the Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO).
Del Campo confirmed that the receipts presented by the prosecution formed part of the documents submitted by the OVP in response to audit observations.
“During the evaluation po, I tabulated ang acknowledgment receipts based sa date kung kailan sila na-execute, the expense and the amount po,” Del Campo said.
For the first two quarters of 2023, the prosecution said Del Campo’s tabulation covered 1,049 acknowledgment receipts — 519 for the first quarter and 530 for the second quarter.
Among the selected receipts were names such as Pia Piattos-Lim, Ralph Josh Bacon, Anne Ongpauco, Heart Santiago, Feonna Villegas, Beth Revilla, Clarisse Hontiveros, Jose Diokno Jr., Diane Maple Lapid and John A. Lapid Jr.
Court documents showed receipts carrying P140,000 under Piattos-Lim and P150,000 under Bacon for the purchase of information.
Another receipt listed P250,000 under Santiago for supplies, while P500,000 under Villegas was described as medical and food aid.
For the third quarter, covering July 14 to Sept. 30, the names presented included Beverly Claire Pampano, Matthew N. Keso, Nova Santos, Salah Casim, Renan Piatos, Xiaome Ocho, Jay Kamote, Miggy Mango, Kokoy Villamin, “Contis, Connor Adrian,” Honeylet Camille Sy, Kristine Applegate Estrada and Denise Tanya Escudero.
The corresponding receipts included P250,000 under Keso, P200,000 under Kamote, P50,000 under Mango and P120,000 under Escudero.
The stated purposes included purchases of information or supplies and reward payments.
Del Campo clarified that the ICFAO conducted a compliance audit and did not verify whether the individuals named in the receipts actually existed or whether their names were connected to similarly named public figures.
She also distinguished between an expense being allowable under the rules and a transaction being sufficiently supported by documents.
Del Campo said the purchase of information is an allowable confidential expense. For purchases of supplies, however, the acknowledgment receipts did not establish where the items were purchased or how they were used.
“Yung mga acknowledgment receipts po na purchase of supplies, hiningan ko po ng additional documentation to ascertain po na ipinambili po talaga ito ng supplies,” she said.
The OVP also submitted an April 4, 2024 certification signed by Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, along with Protective Intelligence Operations Reports, to support payments classified as rewards.
The certification referred to surveillance and information-gathering activities conducted in 127 areas during the first quarter and 111 areas during the second quarter of 2023.
Del Campo said the reports contained information on Vice Presidential engagements, probable threats and operational timelines but did not identify specific accomplishments that would justify the reward payments.
“Hindi ko po nakita ’yung particular accomplishments po na magwa-warrant sa payment of rewards. Ang nakalagay lang sa certification is a general statement that there were no untoward incidents. Pero hindi po ito naging sapat,” she said.
For the third quarter, Del Campo identified four issues raised in an Aug. 8, 2024 Audit Observation Memorandum.
These included missing documentary evidence of payment, P35 million in reward payments without proof of successful information-gathering or surveillance, unspecified confidential activities in the physical and financial plan, and an unsigned portion of the disbursement voucher.
The testimony formed part of the prosecution’s presentation of evidence concerning the OVP’s use and liquidation of confidential funds in 2023.
Photo courtesy of VOA
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