Insurgency: Dramatic Economic Turnaround

The AFP has once again released an update on the war against the insurgency. 1,108 "insurgents and their supporters were “neutralized" from Jan. 1 to Aug. 27." What does that mean exactly? Let's check it out. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283131

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said 1,108 New People's Army (NPA) insurgents and their supporters were “neutralized" from Jan. 1 to Aug. 27.

Of the total, 995 individuals surrendered, 40 were arrested, and 73 were killed during military operations, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a media interview Tuesday.

Neutralized, in military terms, refers to the surrender, capture, or killing of enemy troops.

During the same period, 698 firearms were either seized or surrendered, along with 276 anti-personnel mines.

Padilla said 39 NPA encampments were also captured during the same time.

"These figures tell us something very important – out of the 1,108 CTG (communist terrorist group) members and supporters encountered, 995 po ang (are) surrenderees. That tells us the path to peace and reintegration remains open," she added.

In 2025, the AFP reported neutralizing 2,018 NPA rebels and their supporters, capturing 149 NPA encampments, and the seizure or surrender of about 1,134 firearms and 531 anti-personnel mines.

Well, it doesn't mean a thing! Because they have not talked the numbers between actual NPA rebels and mere supporters the numbers look rather inflated. Remember, at last count there were only 780 NPA rebels left. 1,108 is 42% above the number of alleged remaining rebels! Has anyone else noticed this continuing discrepancy of reporting the number of NPA rebels and supporters neutralized versus the number of actual NPA rebels remaining? 

Meanwhile, actual rebels do continue to be neutralized. A leader linked to the deaths of soldiers was recently killed in a clash. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283026

A ranking leader of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) in the Bicol Region was killed following a 10-minute armed encounter between government forces and around five New People's Army (NPA) members in Barangay Magogon, Camalig, Albay, the 9th Infantry Division (9ID) reported on Tuesday.

In a report, Maj. Frank Roldan, 9ID spokesperson, said troops of the 31st Infantry Battalion (31st IB), together with personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP), encountered the group Monday night.

Roldan identified the leader, who used the aliases "Jerry," "Josam," "Floyd" and "Maeng," as the leader of the Regional Sub-Office Guerrilla Operations of the Bicol Regional Party Committee.

"Following the exchange of gunfire, Josam was found dead at the encounter site after his companions reportedly left him behind," Roldan said in an interview.

Government forces recovered a Glock 17 9mm pistol, subversive documents and personal belongings.

He said Josam had been a member of the NPA for more than three decades and had served in various leadership positions within the communist terrorist group in Bicol.

He was also reportedly facing multiple criminal charges, including several counts of murder and attempted murder, robbery with homicide, and multiple murder with frustrated attempted murder.

Roldan added that Josam was the principal suspect in the killing of two soldiers who were conducting rescue operations and buying supplies in Barangay Cotmon, Camalig, in February 2023.

The 9ID also renewed its call for remaining CTG members to abandon the armed struggle and return to the fold of the law through the government's reintegration programs.

It's amazing that the AFP has claimed the NPA is leaderless when they keep killing leaders. Another NPA leader was arrested.

https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/31/ex-npa-leader-falls-to-authorities-in-nueva-ecija

The remaining pillar of what was once a formidable communist rebel structure operating in the Cordillera and Ilocos regions has fallen into the hands of authorities.

John Lee Hondrado, alias “Lig-on,” an alleged remnant of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) and former leader of the dismantled Kilusang Larangang Gerilya (KLG) North Abra, was arrested in Nueva Ecija in what security forces described as a major blow to the remaining network of the group.

The Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division (5ID) said Hondrado was arrested in Barangay Parista, Lupao, Nueva Ecija, on August 21 in a joint operation with the Philippine National Police (PNP), including the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

The military described Hondrado as the last remaining member of the ICRC, a development that could signal the final collapse of the regional communist structure that once operated across parts of the Cordillera and Northern Luzon.

Hondrado, also identified as a former leader of KLG North Abra, had allegedly remained at large even after the guerrilla unit was dismantled.

Authorities arrested him while serving warrants for attempted homicide and violations of laws on the illegal manufacture, sale, acquisition, possession, and ownership of firearms and ammunition.

His arrest came five months after security forces launched a sweeping crackdown against alleged ICRC members.

On March 11, authorities arrested 10 alleged active members of the ICRC in simultaneous operations in Fairview, Quezon City, and Tarlac City. The suspects were allegedly linked to rebel operations in Abra, Kalinga, and Apayao.

The arrests were followed by the surrender of two other high-ranking communist terrorist group officials in Tabuk City, Kalinga, bringing the total number of persons accounted for in the earlier operations to 12.

Among those identified was Gabriel Kennedy Lao-ing Bangibang, described as a former KLG Baggas secretary and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant. He is now detained at the BJMP-Kalinga District Jail.

Also identified were Theresa Falitnang Forag, an alleged ICRC member from Abra, and Javar Anglao Sugao, described as a former KLG Baggas intelligence officer and alleged vice commanding officer of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Kalinga.

Other alleged members included Renato Ginez, Rani Francella Tuazon, Marc Arriane Mendiola y Tolentino, and Bobby Calsiyao Yag-ao, a former KLG Baggas member and alleged NPA Abra assistant medic.

The earlier suspects were wanted for offenses ranging from attempted and frustrated murder to qualified trafficking in persons and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

With Hondrado now in custody, government security forces believe they may have closed in on what was left of the ICRC’s once-sprawling network.

However, authorities are not yet declaring the fight over.

Security forces continue to track possible underground operatives and supporters and are monitoring any attempt to rebuild or revive dismantled communist structures in the Cordillera and Northern Luzon.

There are certainly more leaders out there. 

There are definitely more NPA arms caches waiting to be discovered. The Army recovered another one recently. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283323

Army troopers from the 30th Infantry Battalion (30IB) recovered firearms and ammunition hidden by remnants of the New People's Army (NPA) during an operation Thursday in Barangay Lobo, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.

The cache included an M14 rifle, an M1 Garand rifle, five 20-round detachable box magazines, 32 rounds of .30-caliber ammunition, and 89 rounds of 7.62x51 mm ammunition.

In a statement on Friday, 30IB commander Lt. Col. Rey Vergel Annogui stressed that the recovery further weakens the capability of NPA remnants to conduct armed activities.

He said the seizure also helps prevent the resurgence of armed conflict in previously affected communities in Cantilan and across Surigao del Sur.

"This successful recovery demonstrates our troops' unwavering commitment to protecting communities and sustaining the gains we have achieved in our areas of responsibility," Annogui said.

He added that 30IB will continue efforts to keep NPA weapons from being used to threaten residents and disrupt peace in the province.

"We also call on our communities to remain vigilant and continue working with us in building a safer, more peaceful, and progressive Surigao," Annogui said.

They never tell us the conditions of these weapons. The must be operational though if they are worthy enough to be reported on. 

Mindoro has experienced a dramatic recovery after beating the insurgency. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283318

Improving economic conditions in the province of Occidental Mindoro has resulted in a reduction of poverty and insurgency incidents.

In a statement released by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Friday, Occidental Mindoro Lone District Rep. Leody Tarriela said the province's dramatic economic turnaround — from 2.1 percent growth to a nation-leading 11.2 percent — offers compelling evidence that bringing roads, electricity, livelihoods and basic government services to formerly conflict-affected communities can break the cycle of poverty and insurgency.

He added that the province’s transformation demonstrates in concrete terms the principle behind the government’s whole-of-nation peace and development strategy: lasting peace cannot be secured by security operations alone, but must be sustained by development that people can see, use and feel in their everyday lives.

Tarriela declared that infrastructure has opened communities once isolated by geography, poverty and decades of armed conflict.

His remarks came amid Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing Occidental Mindoro posting an extraordinary economic expansion, alongside recent statements from the National Anti-Poverty Commission and Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon linking poverty reduction and inclusive development with the weakening of conditions historically exploited by insurgent groups.

For decades, Occidental Mindoro was known as the country's "brownout capital" due to chronic power interruptions lasting from 16 to 18 hours daily, while many remote communities in the province remained vulnerable to communist insurgency.

Improved power supply, expanding infrastructure and sustained peace and development interventions have helped create conditions for investment, employment and greater economic activity.

Power interruptions have been substantially reduced, while seven of the province’s 11 municipalities had attained insurgency-free status by 2024.

“The 11.2 percent growth is not just a number—it is a symbol of real change,” Tarriela said. And with improved power supply, the lawmaker said investors came to Occidental Mindoro, bringing in more jobs and opportunities.

With this development, Tarriela said poverty and hunger fell, with government services now truly felt. And this is why, Tarriela said, why people no longer join or support armed groups.

He cited the municipality of Magsaysay as a concrete example of development reaching communities on the ground.

Magsaysay became the first municipality in the country to complete an infrastructure project under the FY 2026 Local Government Support Fund–Support to the Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP), making Mimaropa the first region nationwide to report completed projects under the FY 2026 program.

Under the FY 2026 SBDP, eligible cleared barangays receive funding for high-impact community projects such as farm-to-market roads, water systems, school buildings, health stations and rural electrification—investments designed to address the very conditions of isolation and underdevelopment that allowed insurgency to persist for decades.

Tarriela likewise cited Sablayan, where farm-to-market roads and other development initiatives have begun connecting previously isolated communities to markets, schools, health facilities and government services. He also explained that isolation imposes a heavy economic burden on poor communities.

“Kung maganda ang buhay ng tao at kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, nakapag-aral ang mga anak nila—doon nababawasan ang insurhensya (if the people are having a good life and eating three times a day and able to send their children to school—insurgency will be greatly reduced)," Tarriela said.

He thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the NTF-ELCAC for sustaining development interventions in communities emerging from decades of insurgency, stressing that programs such as the BDP help convert security gains into lasting economic and social progress.

Tarriela acknowledged that Occidental Mindoro still faces challenges, particularly in achieving fully reliable electricity and consolidating lasting peace across the province. But its experience, he said, demonstrates what can happen when the government addresses conflict not only through security measures, but by confronting the poverty, isolation and lack of opportunity on which insurgency has historically thrived.

He called for the expansion and sustained funding of the Barangay Development Program, saying many communities across the country are still waiting for the roads, water systems, schools, health facilities, electricity and livelihood opportunities now transforming parts of Occidental Mindoro.

This is laughable!! "The province's dramatic economic turnaround — from 2.1 percent growth to a nation-leading 11.2 percent — offers compelling evidence that bringing roads, electricity, livelihoods and basic government services to formerly conflict-affected communities can break the cycle of poverty and insurgency." Are you telling me that bringing civilization to a backwards area brings economic growth and lifts people out of poverty!? WOW!!  It truly is a case of good governance being a counterinsurgency program instead of the norm! This is literally what a functioning government is supposed to do by default.

Week 9 of Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial Part 2

Week 9 of Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial flipped the script with the lead defense attorney becoming a key eyewitness for the prosecution. It seems Attorney Michael Poa's fate is entwined with that of Sara Duterte. Being that he was Undersecretary for the DepEd while she was Secretary and he handled the COA audit response. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2297970/poa-admits-he-also-faces-liability-if-vp-found-guilty

Michael Poa, who served as Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, undersecretary for finance and spokesperson at the Department of Education (DepEd), acknowledged on Wednesday that he could face liability if Duterte is found guilty of misusing millions of pesos in confidential funds, while maintaining that he had no personal knowledge of how the money was used.

Poa, now one of Duterte’s defense lawyers but testifying as a hostile prosecution witness on Day 21 of her impeachment trial, also said he learned about the unusual names appearing in acknowledgment receipts for confidential fund payments only during congressional hearings in 2024, even though he had prepared DepEd’s response to a Commission on Audit (COA) audit observation memorandum (AOM) questioning P112.5 million in confidential expenditures.

Asked by Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros whether Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd personnel could be held accountable if Duterte were found liable, Poa said: “It’s possible. Just being objective, Your Honor.”

Hontiveros then asked if Poa himself could face liability.

“It’s possible. I hope not, but possible,” he replied.

No operational role

Poa maintained that he had no operational role in handling the confidential funds. He said his involvement began only after he received the COA’s AOM flagging DepEd’s confidential fund reward payments. Before that, he said, he had no personal knowledge of how the funds were used.

After receiving the AOM, Poa said he approached then Undersecretary for Administration Nolasco Mempin to obtain proof of the success of activities supposedly funded through the rewards, particularly accomplishment reports.

Mempin, whom Poa said also had no personal knowledge of the funds’ use, eventually obtained certifications from Armed Forces of the Philippines officers, including Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio.

But Boransing and Panopio told the impeachment court on Tuesday that they did not know their certifications would be used to support the liquidation of DepEd’s confidential expenditures. The two Army officers said their documents merely recorded participants’ attendance in eight Army-sponsored Youth Leadership Summits and 53 Information Education Campaign activities. They also testified that neither DepEd nor the OVP provided the AFP with confidential funds for those programs.

“Unfortunately, all that really came to me was this certification. So, that’s all I attached to our response to COA,” he said.

‘Impression’ and ‘theory’

Poa also softened his earlier explanation to the House that activities supported by the confidential funds were targeted based on information supplied by informants, describing that explanation as merely his “impression” and “theory.”

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian pointed out that Poa’s written response to the COA sounded more definitive, making it appear that information from informants had directly contributed to successful operations.

“How do you now prove that this success is from confidential information, from payment of rewards? How do you connect this to a successful payment of reward that led to a successful operation?” Gatchalian asked.

He also told private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. that buying information from informants did not necessarily guarantee an immediately successful operation.

“Not all information purchased will necessarily result [in] immediate success,” Poa said when asked whether proof of success was required under Joint Circular 2015-01, which governs the use of confidential and intelligence funds.

Senator-judge Joel Villanueva questioned Poa on the basis for using AFP certifications to support DepEd’s P15.54 million in confidential fund expenditures.

‘Abogadong walang alam’

Poa said he did not consider the certifications in isolation, pointing to language in the documents referring to a “synergistic exchange of intelligence and information” that enabled authorities to identify areas where activities would be conducted.

The prosecution’s offer of Poa’s testimony triggered a sharp exchange after Tolosa described him as “ang abogadong walang alam (lawyer who knew nothing),” referring to his being tasked by Duterte to answer the COA despite repeatedly saying he did not know how the confidential funds were used.

Defense lead counsel Sheila Sison vehemently objected, saying Poa had rights under the trial rules to be protected from irrelevant, improper and insulting questions and from harsh or insulting treatment. Tolosa apologized and said he meant only that Poa had repeatedly testified in the House that he knew nothing about the funds.

Presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered the phrase stricken from the record, saying it was discourteous and should not be used in referring to a fellow lawyer.

Names surfaced in House

Poa’s testimony also underscored the limits of his knowledge of the documents used to liquidate the confidential funds.

Asked by Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo whether he was familiar with names appearing in acknowledgment receipts submitted to the COA as proof of payment to supposed confidential informants, Poa said he did not remember seeing anything fictitious while at DepEd. He said he saw the unusual names only when the receipts were shown during the House inquiry in 2024, including the controversial “Mary Grace Piattos.”

When he asked former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda for documents evidencing payments required for the COA audit, Poa said Fajarda initially handed him a sealed envelope, saying the documents were confidential. Poa asked to see at least one sample because he was responsible for submitting DepEd’s response to the COA. The envelope was opened and he was shown an acknowledgment receipt.

‘First time’ hearing of Nolasco

Poa prepared DepEd’s response to COA’s AOM covering confidential expenditures for the first three quarters of 2023. The COA had flagged the lack of documents supporting the use of P112.5 million in confidential funds. Poa submitted DepEd’s response for the first two quarters in February 2024 and for the third quarter in April.

Poa likewise testified that he first learned during the 2024 congressional hearings that the confidential funds had allegedly been transferred to a security officer.

He had previously said that only Duterte and Fajarda were privy to the use of the funds. But Fajarda testified during the House inquiry that he had turned over the funds to Col. Dennis Nolasco, then deputy chief of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.

Tolosa asked whether Fajarda’s statement was the first time Poa learned of Nolasco’s involvement. Poa said it was, adding that it was also the first time he learned that Nolasco was a security officer and that Fajarda had transferred the funds to him.

Poa agreed that when he prepared DepEd’s response to the COA, he did not know about Nolasco’s role and could not have spoken with him about payments supposedly made to informants.

Meanwhile, the House prosecution panel is weighing whether to abandon the bribery article against Duterte.

Public prosecutor Joel Chua said in a press briefing that the panel was studying whether to proceed directly to the unexplained wealth article after completing its presentation on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.

“We are considering dropping one article,” Chua told reporters, stressing that no final decision had been made. The panel is still weighing an option.

Chua said dropping one article could shorten the proceedings, with the prosecution hoping to finish its presentation by the first week or mid which the dle of October, the defense by November and the impeachment court potentially issuing a decision by December.

Why was Poa tapped to handle the COA response when he had no knowledge of how the funds were actually spent? He only knew of things second hand and did not learn crucial information until the House hearing in 2024. 

He also never saw the vault in which the confidential funds documents were by law supposed to be kept. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2297647/poa-admits-he-never-saw-depeds-vault-for-confidential-documents

It is not clear whether the Department of Education (DepEd) had a vault for its confidential documents, with its former spokesperson and chief-of-staff Michael Poa on Wednesday admitting that he had never seen the safe during his time with the department.

According to Senator-Judge Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan during the 21st day Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, the lack of such a vault would be a violation of Joint Circular (JC) No. 2015-01, the primary regulatory framework for the entitlement, release, use, reporting, and audit of confidential and intelligence funds or CIF.

Under the JC, agencies utilizing CIF are strictly required to keep receipts, logs, as well as sensitive identity details inside a secured agency vault managed by a designated Special Disbursing Officer (SDO).

"According to the JC there is a vault required but I didn’t see that vault," Koa admitted during the proceedings. 

"I didn’t see any vaults when I was at DepEd," he aded.

In fact, Poa even said that when he was instructed to respond to an audit observation memorandum or AOM from the Commission on Audit regarding DepEd’s confidential funds, the lawyer said the department’s SDO had to “get it from the field.”

“So it was not in the vault?” said Pangilinan.

“Based on logic, it was not in the vault at the time that I asked for it,” Poa responded.

Pangilinan then pointed out that being from the field meant that the confidential documents were outside the vault for almost six months.

But Poa said DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda would be the best person to address the matter as he had no personal knowledge about it.

"That’s one concern, that you don’t know if there is a vault, and if there isn’t a vault, that’s already a violation of the JC," said Pangilinan.

“You don’t know if it was kept on the envelope because the SDO said it was on the field, so most likely it was not in an envelope in the vault, so another violation, assuming ha? I don’t know” he added.

With this, Pangililanan lamented how many questions about DepEd’s spending and handling of confidential funds continue to be left unanswered—leaving the public unable to know if the funds were spent correctly.

"That’s what’s a bit tragic here. We want to know the truth but we can’t get the truth from the witness, it’s a bit sad," he said. 

Poa, for his part, apologized, reiterating that he simply had no personal knowledge on the matter—adding that if he did, he “would gladly answer.” 

Appranelty there might not even have been a vault! That would be another violation by Sara Duterte. Senator-Judge Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is right to lament "how many questions about DepEd’s spending and handling of confidential funds continue to be left unanswered." 

The only people who can answer these questions are Sara and those who actually handled the funds. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283176

Vice President Sara Duterte, then education secretary, and officials directly involved in handling the Department of Education’s (DepEd) PHP112.5 million in confidential funds were the only ones who knew how the money was used, former DepEd undersecretary, chief of staff, and spokesperson Michael Wesley Poa testified on Wednesday.

In his testimony, Poa, now part of Duterte’s defense team, admitted he had no personal knowledge of the expenditures that he later defended before state auditors.

He confirmed that Duterte and then-DepEd special disbursing officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda knew about the use of the confidential funds.

He later added then-DepEd security officer Col. Dennis Nolasco, whose role he learned about only after a House of Representatives hearing in November 2024, where Fajarda confirmed that he turned over the confidential funds to Nolasco.

“Opo (Yes),” Poa replied when private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. identified Duterte and Fajarda as those who knew how the funds were used.

Poa also testified that Duterte knew about and authorized his handling of DepEd’s response to an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) from the Commission on Audit (COA) questioning the expenditures.

He said he informed Duterte when the AOM arrived and sought her permission to coordinate with Fajarda.

“In-inform ko po siya (I informed her) that we got the AOM, and I informed her and asked for permission if I can coordinate with the SDO, dahil ’yan lang naman ang alam ko na may alam dito sa mga pondo na ’to (because to my knowledge, he was the only one who knew about these funds). And she said, ‘Okay,’” Poa said.

Poa said he later briefed Duterte on his answers to COA and that she responded, “Okay.” He also gave her a soft copy of the response a day before it was submitted.

Poa acknowledged that he did not know about Nolasco’s alleged role when he prepared the response.

“Actually, that was the first time that I heard that there was a security officer,” Poa said, referring to the 2024 inquiry of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability where he learned about Nolasco.

Poa confirmed his recollection of Fajarda’s previous testimony that all three PHP37.5 million releases were turned over to Nolasco. He also said he never spoke with Nolasco while gathering information to answer COA.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) certifications attached to DepEd’s COA response also came under scrutiny during Poa’s testimony.

Poa confirmed that the certifications did not identify the informers who supposedly received confidential fund rewards or the particular information purchased with those rewards.

“No particular specific information was identified. Yes,” he said.

Poa said the AFP certifications were submitted as proof of success in connection with the rewards but insisted he had no personal knowledge whether information obtained through the rewards actually resulted in the military activities cited.

“That is just my interpretation of the certification,” he clarified. “Whether or not that is indeed the case, I really do not have personal knowledge of it.”

Poa also confirmed that no DepEd confidential funds were given to the AFP for the Youth Leadership Summits covered by the certifications.

Army Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtangol Panopio earlier testified that their certifications were not intended to account for or justify DepEd’s confidential fund expenditures.

The House prosecution panel presented Poa as a hostile witness, a status granted by the Senate impeachment court that allowed private prosecutor Tolosa to ask leading questions.

He was the third prosecution witness declared hostile after former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta and OVP Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio.

The PHP112.5 million forms part of Article I of the impeachment charges accusing Duterte of alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds, including PHP500 million at the OVP. 

The public may never hear hide nor hair from them. That leaves a man like Attorney Poa as the fall guy. Even if Sara Duterte is convicted and permanently banned from holding public office the public will likely never know the true story of where all the money went. 

Week 9 of Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial Part 1

Week 9 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial was curtailed once more due to Monday, August 31st being National Heroes Day. Testimony resumed on Tuesday with AFP Colonel Manaros Boransing II. He testified that, under Duterte, no Department of Education confidential funds were allowed for the Army's Youth Leadership Summit. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2296490/boransing-insists-no-duterte-offices-funds-in-army-youth-summits

Not a single peso — whether regular allocations or confidential funds (CF) — from Vice President Sara Duterte’s offices was received or used for the youth leadership summits conducted by the Philippine Army (PA), Col. Manaros Boransing II said on Tuesday.

During the resumption of Duterte’s impeachment trial, Boransing was asked by prosecution lawyer Reynaldo Robles whether the Army’s Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and the Information Education Communication (IEC) campaign — two anti-communist recruitment initiatives — were funded by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

Robles asked this as the DepEd under Duterte cited the YLS and the IEC as activities that would justify the use of their CFs in 2023.  In response, Boransing said they did not receive any CF from Duterte’s offices, and only PA funds were used, and local government unit (LGU) allocations for local partners.

“There was no funding released to the 1st Infantry Division from DepEd, sir, of any source,” Boransing said.

“How about funding, by way of confidential funds, provided by the offices identified with the respondent Vice President Sara Duterte, particularly the OVP, Office of the Vice President, or the Vice President Security and Protection Group or VPSPG, were there funding provided from those offices for your YLS and IEC activities in 2023?” Robles asked.

“For 2023 sir, there were no funds from other government agencies released to 1st Infantry Tabak Division, sir,” Boransing added.

The Army official also clarified that they did not receive even regular funds from OVP, DepEd, or VPSPG.

“I was asking you about confidential funds, now let me ask you about funds in general, confidential or otherwise, how much funding was provided or downloaded to your unit by the DepEd, for your conduct of the YLS and IEC activities for 2023?” Robles asked again.

“As I earlier said, no funds whatsoever or any amount was downloaded to the 1st Infantry Tabak Division for 2023 for the Youth Leadership Summit and Information Education Communication campaign, by any government agency sir,” Boransing answered.

Robles’ inquiry was similar to the questions thrown at Boransing and other PA officials who attended an October 17, 2024, hearing of the House of Representatives’ committee on good government and public accountability — which probed allegations of anomalous CF use within the Vice President’s offices.

During that hearing, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro — who eventually became chairperson of the committee on justice and lead public prosecutor — observed that DepEd under the Vice President made it seem that they used their CF for the YLS and IEC when it was the PA and LGUs that shouldered most of the expenses.

Luistro made this conclusion after asking Boransing which agencies’ funds were used for the YLS, as the DepEd claimed to have allocated P15 million of its CF.

When Boransing said that they used their own funds, Luistro asked retired former 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.

However, Luistro was able to solicit a confirmation from the Commission on Audit (COA) that the acknowledgement receipts used by DepEd to show that the P15 million CF was spent for the YLS.  However, DepEd labeled this disbursement as reward 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 these to justify confidential expenses for rewards to 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.

In fact the Army received no funds from the Office of Vice President or the Department of Education for the Youth Leadership Summit. 

A second military official, Col. Magtanggol Panopio, claimed he was surprised the DepEd used a certification he issued "in connection with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) liquidation of PHP15.54 million in confidential-fund rewards."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283093

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Col. Magtanggol Panopio said Tuesday that he was surprised to learn that a certification he issued merely to confirm the conduct of Philippine Army youth activities had been used in connection with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) liquidation of PHP15.54 million in confidential-fund rewards.

In his testimony before the Senate impeachment court, Panopio said he discovered the document’s use only when he appeared before a House inquiry into DepEd’s confidential intelligence funds in 2024, not when he issued the certification dated Dec. 5, 2023.

“We only learned of this when we appeared before Congress during the hearing on confidential intelligence funds of the Department of Education, Your Honor,” he said.

Presiding Officer Senator Francis Escudero placed the date of that House hearing on the record as Oct. 17, 2024. Panopio confirmed that it was there that he learned that his certification had been included among DepEd’s documents in responding to a Commission on Audit (COA) Audit Observation Memorandum.

“We were surprised because the certification is only for the certification that we conducted the Youth Leadership Summit. Hindi po namin sine-certify we were not certifying anything about money or funds, Your Honor,” he said.

He said the document was issued under instructions coursed through his military command and coordinated with former DepEd Undersecretary Nolasco Mempin.

Issuing such documents was not unusual in itself, he said, because military activities commonly involved other government agencies and local partners.

“It is part of my job as the assistant chief of staff for civil-military operations to issue certificates to our partners, especially on activities conducted by the division, Your Honor,” he said.

“That certification affirmed that the Youth Leadership Summits have been implemented in our area of operations during the year 2023, Your Honor,” he added.

Meanwhile, Panopio traced DepEd inputs to teachers, schools, and communities – not paid intelligence.

His certification stated that areas for the summits were identified through information obtained primarily from DepEd and that information exchange supported military operations focused on protecting schools.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian questioned what kind of information that language described and whether it was confidential or surveillance information.

Panopio explained that site selection began with ordinary interagency planning.

“When we conduct YLS, we are following different phases. During the planning phase, we are coordinating with different agencies like the LGUs, the schools and the community where we will conduct the YLS,” he said.

Asked who within DepEd supplied the information, Panopio did not identify a national official, confidential agent, or paid source, pointing principally to school personnel participating in local coordination.

“I assume that it came from the teachers on the ground as members of DepEd, who provided us the information on how and where to conduct the YLS, Your Honor,” he said.

He later identified teachers on the ground as the personnel he believed were being referred to in the certification.

Panopio did not claim that every input was public, initially describing the information, based on experience, as potentially mixed.

“So, I think we can say that the information may be somehow confidential or there is an open-source. But based on experience, it is mixed, Your Honor,” he said.

Gatchalian then required him to identify the actual subject matter. Panopio cited conditions known within communities, including disaster-response concerns, parenting, terrorism and communism, drug abuse, and family matters.

When asked whether those were confidential, he clarified, “It is open-source information because it is known in the community.”

Pressed for an example of genuinely confidential information from DepEd, Panopio did not cite an intelligence report, surveillance record, or informer’s disclosure.

“I can speculate only, or maybe the personal circumstances like teenage pregnancies or other personal information that became confidential because it is their personal life, Your Honor,” he said.

The prosecution says this means the Department of Education under Vice President Sara Duterte filled the military into signing off on the use of confidential funds. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283075

Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as Education secretary in 2023, fooled the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), prosecution spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Tuesday.

The Lanao del Sur lawmaker made the statement following the testimony of retired Army Col. Manaros Boransing II before the Senate impeachment court.

Boransing, who served as assistant chief of staff of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division in 2023, testified about certifications issued for the AFP’s Youth Leadership Summit and other military-led activities.

The certification was among the documents submitted by the Department of Education (DepEd) during the liquidation of its PHP112.5 million confidential funds spent in the latter part of 2023.

Adiong said Boransing’s testimony raised concerns over how the AFP program was used in supporting DepEd’s liquidation documents.

“There is only one conclusion that we can draw from Boransing’s testimony: The AFP was scammed,” he said.

He alleged that DepEd used a long-running AFP youth program as justification for confidential fund expenses that were questioned by the Commission on Audit (COA).

“That is how desperate the Department of Education was during the tenure of Duterte that they were still willing to use a legitimate operation long conducted by the AFP as a front to justify their confidential funds, which was flagged by COA,” he said.

Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre echoed the concern, saying the testimony raised broader questions about the handling of confidential funds.

“It looked like the AFP and the people were scammed,” Acidre said.

Acidre said the testimony strengthened the prosecution’s argument that there were possible irregularities in the liquidation of confidential funds.

He said the use of the AFP certification as supporting documentation may have created a misleading impression that DepEd directly funded or conducted the activities.

Sara Duterte's lead defense attorney, Michael Poa, took the stand as a hostile witness. He served as DepEd Undersecretary when Duterte was DepEd Secretary. His testimony agreed with the two AFP officials. NO confidential funds were used for the AFP's Youth Leadership Summit. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283148

Former Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Michael Wesley Poa on Wednesday confirmed that no DepEd confidential funds were given to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) cited in military certifications submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA).

Poa made the admission as a hostile witness in the 21st day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Asked by private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. to confirm that no DepEd confidential funds were given to the AFP for the YLS, Poa replied: “Yes, sir. I confirm that.”

The testimony reinforced earlier statements from Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtangol Panopio that the YLS was a regular military activity and that their units did not receive DepEd confidential funds for the activities covered by their certifications.

Poa also recalled the AFP officers saying they did not know when they issued the certifications that would later be used in connection with DepEd’s confidential fund liquidation.

“I remember them saying that, sir,” Poa testified.

He further recalled that one or two of the military officers explained that such certifications were ordinarily issued to agencies participating in the YLS.

The prosecution then asked why the AFP certifications were used to support DepEd’s response to an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) concerning rewards supposedly paid to confidential informers.

Poa testified that his interpretation at the time was that information obtained by DepEd through the payment of rewards supposedly helped the military identify areas for its activities.

He, however, repeatedly acknowledged that he had no personal knowledge that this was actually what happened.

“That is just my interpretation of the certification,” Poa explained. “Whether or not that is indeed the case, I really do not have personal knowledge of it.”

Poa also confirmed that when previously asked where the supposed link between the confidential fund information and the AFP activities came from, he had described it as his “theory.”

“Yes, sir,” Poa testified.

In his April 17, 2024 response to COA, Poa said financial rewards were given to informers for leads or information that supposedly allowed DepEd to formulate targeted programs and interventions against recruitment, violent extremism and other criminal activities.

The response cited four AFP certifications as evidence of the “success of various programs, projects, and activities directly resulting from the information provided by informers.”

But under questioning, Poa acknowledged that he did not personally know what specific information had been provided by the informers or whether that information actually led to the AFP activities cited in the certifications.

He also confirmed that he had no personal knowledge of how DepEd’s confidential funds were operationally used and became involved only after receiving the COA audit observation and preparing the agency’s response.

“Any involvement that you had with respect to confidential funds, it started when you received the AOM?” Tolosa asked.

“When I received the AOM, yes, sir,” Poa replied.

Poa said he consulted DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda, who referred him to then-Undersecretary Nolasco Mempin for documents showing the supposed success of activities linked to the confidential fund expenditures.

Poa likewise confirmed that Mempin himself had no personal knowledge of how the confidential funds were used.

Mempin eventually provided the AFP certifications that Poa attached to DepEd’s response to COA.

Duterte served as education secretary when DepEd spent PHP112.5 million in confidential funds in 2023.

The PHP112.5 million forms part of the first Article of Impeachment accusing her of alleged misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of confidential funds

But he also testified that he has no personal knowledge of how the confidential funds were spent. So, what is he doing on the stand if he is only testifying from hearsay? How is it that Sara's number one had direct access to her but was out of the loop on how the confidential funds were being spent?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283162

Former Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Michael Wesley Poa testified Wednesday that he reported directly to then-Education Secretary Sara Duterte, received her instructions on department operations, and sought her guidance before media interviews despite allegedly having no firsthand knowledge of how the agency’s confidential funds were operationally used.

Poa took the witness stand as a hostile prosecution witness on Day 21 of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. questioned him about the authority he exercised and his working relationship with Duterte while serving as DepEd spokesperson, undersecretary, chief of staff, officer-in-charge for finance, and head of the procuring entity.

Defense counsel Shiela Sison earlier acknowledged Poa’s standing within the department.

“I can stipulate, Your Honor, that he is trusted and that he is good at what he does,” Sison told the impeachment court.

Poa began as DepEd spokesperson in July 2022. By April 2023, he was undersecretary and chief of staff. He subsequently served briefly as officer-in-charge of the finance office and later as head of the procuring entity.

Poa explained that although President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. formally appointed him undersecretary, his appointment came through Duterte.

“Sir, it was the President who appointed me as Undersecretary, as you know. But of course, upon the recommendation of the Secretary, then it was the Vice President,” Poa said.

When Tolosa asked whether he had a direct reporting relationship with Duterte, Poa answered: “Yes, I do.”

Poa likewise confirmed that his position gave him direct access to Duterte without having to pass through other department officials.

He also testified that as chief of staff, he gave Duterte updates and received her instructions on matters affecting DepEd’s operations.

The relationship extended to Poa’s work as spokesperson.

Poa described Duterte’s input as “guidance,” rather than instructions; but he confirmed a statement he made at a previous congressional hearing, in which he described consulting her before interviews.

“When there’s news, and I need to get to an interview, honestly, I have to message the Vice President at that time to find out every time what she wants me to say during the interview,” the earlier statement read.

Poa confirmed in court that those were his words.

The prosecution contrasted Poa’s access, authority and institutional role with his repeated position that he had no operational knowledge of the confidential funds.

“I don’t have personal knowledge in the operations of DepEd. So, I’m answering based on my understanding, based on what I’ve read when I was trying to study,” Poa said while discussing his interpretation of confidential-fund requirements.

He likewise confirmed that his involvement in the confidential-fund issue began only after DepEd received an Audit Observation Memorandum from the Commission on Audit.

Poa had not signed the original liquidation reports submitted for the funds, and identified former special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda, Duterte as head of agency, and an accountant as among those who signed the records.

For the prosecution, Poa’s testimony highlights how a senior official entrusted with speaking for Duterte and helping manage DepEd remained outside the operational handling of the money until state auditors demanded further proof.

Duterte led DepEd when the agency received and used PHP112.5 million in confidential funds in 2023 and signed the corresponding liquidation reports as the agency’s head, according to Poa’s testimony.

The prosecution said Duterte must now explain who exercised control, what safeguards she imposed, and how the public money was actually used.

Despite knowing nothing and likely being purposefully kept out of the loop, Poa was appointed by Sara to answer the COA's audit concerning the confidential funds. Why? Was he picked as a fall guy because he had no knowledge of the inner workings of Duterte's financial schemes?

Why did Vice President Sara Duterte pick Michael Poa to answer questions from the Commission on Audit (COA) about P112.5 million in Department of Education (DepEd) confidential funds if he had no firsthand knowledge of the operations the money was supposedly spent on?

That was one of the points that House private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. tried to clarify as he questioned Poa, former DepEd spokesperson when Duterte still headed the department, who testified on Wednesday as a hostile witness on the 21st day of the vice president’s impeachment trial.

In a statement, the prosecution said it included that issue in a 13-point offer for Poa’s testimony.

Despite being one of the defense lawyers and their legal spokesperson, Poa was presented as a witness, the statement said, for being Duterte’s former DepEd spokesperson, chief of staff, officer-in-charge of finance, and head of the procuring entity. Poa was also the former spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Following is an overview of the 13-point offer of the prosecution, as described in its statement:

Point 1

This described Poa as “one of the Vice President’s most trusted men,” a relationship the prosecution considers central to his assignment.

Points 2 to 4

These focused on Poa’s knowledge. Tolosa offered to prove that Poa had “no prior participation in the operational use of the confidential funds before COA issued its Audit Observation Memoranda (AOM), yet Duterte directed him to prepare the responses.”

According to the prosecution, the officials Poa consulted could not supply firsthand information either. These were former special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda and then-Undersecretary Nolasco Mempin.

“The documents eventually gathered consisted principally of Armed Forces certifications,” the statement said, referring to the certifications issued by the military on DepEd’s participation in the 2023 Youth Leadership Summits.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2297670/prosec-why-let-poa-talk-about-secret-funds-if-hes-unaware-of-ops

That is a question only Sara Duterte can answer and as of now she has no plans to testify let alone attend her own impeachment trial.