Senator-judges question former Commission on Audit (COA) state auditor Roderick Wamil as he testifies for the prosecution on the 13th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. Wamil answered questions on the Audit Observation Memo sent to the Office of the Vice President, which is being scrutinized under Article I of the impeachment complaint alleging the misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — The Office of the Vice President’s supposed use of medicines as rewards to informants was “not normal”, a witness said Wednesday on the 13th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Roderick Wamil, an auditor who used to be assigned tothe Commission on Audit’s Intelligence and Confidential Fund Audit Office (COA-ICFAO), said the OVP under Duterte was the first to use medicines as a form of payment.
Wamil audited the confidential and intelligence funds of the OVP and of the Department of Education, which Duterte headed from 2022 to 2023.
The witness earlier in the week testified that acknowledgement receipts the OVP provided showed that it spent P40 million in confidential funds on the provision of medicine and food aid as payment of rewards.
Auditor says 'first time' to encounter confidential expenses backed only by acknowledgement receipts
These were not supported with "document evidencing the success of the information gathering or surveillance activities on account of information given by the informer,” Wamil also said.
During Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros’ interpellation, Wamil said the ICFAO, which he said employs a document-based approach, did not investigate “why an individual must first provide information before receiving medicines.”
He said the medicines may be viewed as “payment of rewards" or "provision of medicine.”
Hontiveros asked the witness whether these may be considered “ayuda,” a term commonly used for the financial or in-kind assistance the government provides the public.
Wamil responded: “Kung iyon po ang ibig sabihin ng provision of medicine, pwede rin po.”
(If that is what 'provision of medicine' means, then it can be.)
Hontiveros also noted the witness’ earlier testimony that P70,000 worth of medicines were also allegedly provided to “Mary Grace Piattos,” whose supposed illness was not identified by the OVP’s documents, said Wamil.
Piattos, alongside other supposed beneficiaries of the OVP's confidential funds, was flagged by the House prosecution for being "dubious."
Wamil said, however, that COA is limited to checking documents and does not check whether a supposed recipient exists.
The prosecution has said it will seek the issuance of a subpoena against Piattos, who the Philippine Statistics Authority earlier said does not exist and has no birth, marriage or death certificates.
The impeachment court is tackling the first article of impeachment, accusing Duterte of misuse, questionable liquidation, and systematic misappropriation of confidential funds.
WRAP: Not all details of confidential spending can be kept secret, auditor says
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