Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel raised concerns over the alleged misuse of P112.5 million in confidential funds by the Department of Education (DepEd) under then-Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte, allocated for questionable youth seminars.
The funds, supposedly earmarked for Youth Leadership Summits, are now under intense scrutiny due to a lack of proper documentation and questionable liquidation reports.
Pimentel brought these issues to light during the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which is investigating Duterte’s alleged mismanagement of government funds at both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd.
Pimentel questioned how such a large amount could be justified for events involving relatively few participants.
“Pagpapakain lang ng almost 3,000 students, uubusin ba natin ng P112.5 million? Kahit na tatlong buwan silang mag-hotel, hindi maubos ang P112.5 million,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker cited audit observation memorandums (AOMs) from the Commission on Audit (COA), which flagged cash advances and liquidation reports for the summits, raising concerns about the large sum used, allegedly without supporting documentation such as receipts and photographs.
In his interpellation, Pimentel highlighted two AOMs dated February 1, 2024, and August 8, 2024, both addressed to DepEd’s special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.
According to Pimentel, Fajarda was responsible for the P75 million cash advance and its liquidation, but he was notably absent from the hearing, along with over a dozen OVP officials who were also invited but failed to appear.
“It is very important that the presence of Mr. Fajarda is required in this committee, as he is the one who made and liquidated the cash advance,” Pimentel stressed.
He then moved to issue a show-cause order to compel Fajarda to attend the next hearing.
Atty. Gloria Camora, the team leader of the COA unit that audited the OVP’s confidential funds, confirmed the existence of the AOMs, covering different periods in 2023.
Pimentel questioned whether the summits actually took place, as the liquidation documents submitted to COA only included certifications from military officers.
“Do we have documentation? Do we have evidence that indeed they conducted this Youth Leadership Summit or sa papel lamang ito?” he asked, underscoring the lack of supporting materials such as receipts or photos.
The certifications, issued by military officials, claimed that several Youth Leadership Summits were conducted, with one certification stating that 531 participants took part in 8 activities, while another mentioned 205 youth participants, and yet another cited 860 participants in 9 summits.
Pimentel was unconvinced, pointing out that the certifications were insufficient to justify such large expenditures.
“In fact, for me, ordinary person ako, this does not fall within the utilization of the [COA] Joint Circular. Very clear po ito doon sa Joint Circular. Ano ba itong Youth Leadership Summit?” Pimentel asked, expressing disbelief over the program’s legitimacy.
Former DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa, who was present at the hearing, clarified that the Youth Leadership Summits were not directly conducted by DepEd but were instead led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as part of their advocacy against insurgency.
“The Youth Leadership Summit is not something that DepEd had conducted, but actually ‘yung mismong nag-certify po from the AFP,” Poa explained.
Pimentel emphasized the need for further investigation and the appearance of Fajarda to explain how the funds were spent.
