MANILA, Philippines – The protection’s effort to categorise actions described in Workplace of the Vice President studies as intelligence or surveillance work doesn’t absolutely set up that the confidential fund expenditures have been correctly supported beneath audit guidelines, counsel for the Home prosecutors Lorna Kapunan stated Wednesday.
Through the cross-examination of Fee on Audit witness Xylene Mae del Campo, protection counsel lawyer Kristine Ferrer offered protecting intelligence operations studies submitted with the OVP’s responses to audit observations protecting the primary three quarters of 2023.
Ferrer questioned Del Campo about listed actions resembling coordination with police and army intelligence operatives, menace evaluation, surveillance of venues, profiling of individuals, and deployment of informants alongside the Vice President’s routes.
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“Tingnan natin isa-isa kung ito ba talagang intelligence work o hindi, (Let’s look if these are actually intelligence work or not),” Ferrer stated earlier than going by the entries.
Del Campo agreed that a number of actions described within the paperwork might fall beneath intelligence gathering, surveillance, or confidential work.
Kapunan objected, saying the impeachment article and the witness’s audit testimony involved the OVP’s use of confidential funds.
“We’re not speaking about intelligence funds. We’re speaking about confidential funds,” Kapunan stated. “All of the questions referred to intelligence funds, when the subject at present is confidential funds.”
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When requested why the bills remained disallowed regardless of the protecting intelligence operations studies (PIOR) and certifications submitted by the OVP, Del Campo maintained that the paperwork didn’t sufficiently display the success required for the questioned funds of rewards.
“Hindi po enough iyong PIOR and certification na proof na nagpapakita ng success ng info gathering (The PIOR and certification should not enough proof to point out the success of the data gathering),” del Campo testified.
The protection then requested if a profitable surveillance that prevented an incident from occurring might itself display that an operation succeeded. Kapunan objected to the query, describing it as hypothetical.
Nonetheless, Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero allowed the inquiry to proceed, noting that the studies themselves acknowledged that no untoward incident had occurred.
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Del Campo stated funds for info weren’t disallowed, whereas funds of rewards require proof of success.
When the exchanges turned tense, Escudero reminded each attorneys that they have been members of the Bar, and can be handled equally, urging them to not let what he described as a seeming generational divide improve courtroom rigidity.
Kapunan responded in jest: “I’m stopping myself from giving her a spanking, Your Honor.”
After Escudero once more known as for restraint, Kapunan stated, “I promise to henceforth behave.”
The Home prosecution known as Del Campo to the witness stand as a part of their presentation of proof within the impeachment case in opposition to Duterte involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds. (PNA)
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