No DepEd confidential funds given to AFP, Poa confirms
Former Department of Education undersecretary Michael Poa testified that no confidential funds were transferred to the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Sara Duterte's tenure. The testimony challenges the defense's use of military certifications to justify the liquidation of millions in confidential funds.
Why it matters
This testimony is a critical development in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, directly addressing allegations of the misuse of public funds.
MANILA, Philippines - The military never received confidential funds from the Department of Education when DepEd was headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, according to a member of her defense team who testified as a hostile witness in her impeachment trial yesterday.
Taking the witness stand, Michael Poa said that as then education undersecretary under Duterte, he could confirm that no confidential fund was disbursed for the Youth Leadership Summits and Information Education Communication programs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Poa made the admission during direct examination by private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr.
"I confirm that," Poa said when asked whether the AFP's anti-insurgency and counterterrorism events received no confidential funds from DepEd.
Poa served as undersecretary and spokesman for DepEd when it was concurrently headed by Duterte from 2022 to 2024.
Records show the agency spent P112.5 million in confidential funds in 2023.
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