AFP vows to cooperate in House probe after 2 officers allegedly received confi funds

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it will cooperate in the probe of the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte.

This after two active military officers were identified as having received substantial portions of the said confidential funds.

“Kung po ipapatawag sila sa imbestigasyon, makikipag tulungan po ang AFP,” AFP Spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press briefing.

(If they are summoned to the investigation, the AFP will cooperate.)

In a House hearing on Monday, OVP and DepEd’s disbursement officers said that millions of confidential funds were transferred to Colonels Dennis Nolasco and Raymund Dante Lachica of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG).

Asked if receiving confidential funds is part of VPSPG’s role, Padilla said the unit’s mission under the Presidential Security Command (PSC) is to provide protection to the President and other dignitaries.

Padilla, however, declined to elaborate when asked if the AFP exerted efforts to get the side of the two officers, citing the ongoing investigation.

“Ang mission po ng PSC is to protect the President and other dignitaries from harm and embarrassment. So yun po yung mission po natin. And that's the role that each of the personnel will play,” she said.

(The mission of the PSC is to protect the President and other dignitaries from harm and embarrassment. So that's our mission. And that's the role that each of the personnel will play.)

“We would not want to issue statements that will hamper or influence yung magiging proceedings po nito. So at this point we shun from making statements that will influence the result of the investigation,” she added.

(We would not want to issue statements that will hamper or influence the proceedings. So at this point we shun from making statements that will influence the result of the investigation.)

According to OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, Duterte gave the go-signal for her to turn over P125 million in confidential funds to Lachica in 2022.

Meanwhile, DepEd's special disbursement officer Edward Fajarda said the department in 2023 used P112.5 million worth of confidential funds and withdrew P37.5 million from a bank and released them in weekly tranches to Nolasco.

Duterte earlier said she did not misuse OVP funds and that the congressional inquiry is just a test case for her impeachment.

The Vice President  has accused the Marcos administration of using her as a "punching bag" to hide corruption in the government. —RF, GMA Integrated News