MANILA—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 Youth Leadership Summits (YLS) cited in military certifications submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA).

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

Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. asked Poa to confirm whether DepEd confidential funds were given to the AFP for the YLS.

“Yes, sir. I confirm that,” Poa replied.

His testimony echoed earlier statements by Army officers Col. Manaros Boransing II and Col. Magtangol Panopio, who said 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 were unaware, when they issued the certifications, that the documents would later be used in connection with the liquidation of DepEd’s confidential funds.

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

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

The prosecution questioned why the AFP certifications were then used to support DepEd’s response to a COA Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) involving rewards allegedly paid to confidential informers.

Poa said his interpretation at the time was that information obtained by DepEd through the payment of rewards supposedly helped the military identify areas where it could conduct activities.

He acknowledged, however, that he had no personal knowledge that this was actually the case.

“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 he had previously described the supposed connection between the information obtained through confidential funds and AFP activities 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 enabled DepEd to formulate targeted programs and interventions against recruitment, violent extremism and other criminal activities.

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

Under questioning, however, Poa acknowledged that he did not personally know what specific information had been provided by the informers or whether such information actually resulted in the AFP activities cited in the certifications.

He likewise said he had no personal knowledge of how DepEd’s confidential funds were operationally used.

Poa said his involvement began only after he received the COA audit observation and was tasked with preparing DepEd’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 also confirmed that Mempin 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 was education secretary when DepEd spent PHP112.5 million in confidential funds in 2023. The amount forms part of the first Article of Impeachment accusing her of alleged misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of confidential funds.

Over the weekend, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V described Poa as a “central figure” in Duterte’s impeachment, particularly because he served as her chief of staff and spokesperson at DepEd.

Ortega noted that Poa likely knew how the confidential funds were processed within the agency as part of his duties.

After leaving DepEd, Poa continued to represent Duterte as counsel as early as the filing of the first impeachment complaints against the vice president in 2025.

Poa’s testimony will be followed by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande, who is expected to testify on the PSA’s findings concerning the identities of names appearing in acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President and DepEd as proof of payment for confidential activities.