aurora game House drug war probe to look into Rodrigo Duterte's confidential, intel funds

MANILAaurora game, Philippines — If former President Rodrigo Duterte attends the House Quad Committee’s next hearing on the extrajudicial killings of his war on drugs, he may be questioned about how he utilized the confidential funds during his term.

Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District), one of the mega-panel’s co-chairs, was asked by reporters on Tuesday, October 29, whether the investigation will touch on Duterte’s confidential funds as president. 

He said that it is a topic the Quad Comm co-chairmen have to discuss.

“‘So, ‘yun pa ‘yung isa sa tinitingnan natin ngayon pagdating po sa intel fund, I think the members and the chairman will really have to talk about this intel fund,” Fernandez said at a press conference. 

(So, that’s another thing we’re looking into regarding the intel fund. I think the members and the chairman will really need to discuss this intel fund.)

According to the General Appropriations Act, the Office of the President under Duterte was allocated around P21.517 billion in confidential, intelligence and extraordinary funds from 2016 to 2022. This is broken down into:

2016: 517 million 2017 to 2019: 2.5 billion each 2020 to 2022: 4.5 billion each

These funds are intended for activities related to national security, including surveillance and information gathering of military officials.

In further analyzing the confidential and intelligence funds that Duterte spent, Fernandez said the four-committee panel may discover its connection to the “Davao Model,” or the alleged reward system that incentivized police officers to kill drug suspects.

“Makikita natin ‘yung daloy ng pera mula doon sa intel fund papunta kay ‘Muking,’ papunta kay Peter Parungo na dinala sa Metrobank, BPI, PSBank,” he said.

(We can see the flow of money from the intel fund to 'Muking,' then to Peter Parungo, which was transferred to Metrobank, BPI and PSBank.)

Retired police colonel Royina Garma revealed to House lawmakers that the reward system was primarily managed by resigned National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and his subordinates, which include a certain Peter Parungo. 

In her affidavit, she stated that Leonardo informed her about the organizational structure of the reward system, explaining that Parungo was responsible for receiving and depositing cash into various banks for rewards and reimbursements.

Meanwhile, the “Muking” in question is also known as Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go’s close aide named Irmina Espino, who allegedly disbursed the funds to police commanders. 

RELATED: 'Davao Model' exposed: Ex-PNP officer Leonardo validates drug war reward system

Fernandez also mentioned that other Quad Comm members have already received copies of the documents outlining the use of confidential and intelligence funds, and that it is pertinent for the public to know how they were spent.

“Pakita natin ‘yung chunk ng intel fund at paano siya ginamit. Unfortunately kasi ‘yang intel fund na ‘yan, hindi siya subjected to the usual procedure of COA on liquidating,” he added.  

(Let’s show the chunk of the intel fund and how it was used. Unfortunately, that intel fund is not subject to the usual liquidation procedures of the COA.)

The Quad Comm co-chair was referencing Joint Circular 2015-01, which outlines the guidelines for the expenditure, reporting and auditing of confidential and intelligence funds. 

However, several lawmakers are concerned about the lack of documentation for transactions made by an agency due to their “confidential nature,” suggesting revisions to be made. 

As a result, state auditors are forced to rely solely on the information provided by these agencies, leaving them unable to validate or verify payments made.

This issue was recently observed in the House probe into the alleged misuse of public funds by Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, where acknowledgment receipts featured illegible handwriting or initials instead of full names.

RELATED: OVP spent P16 million in confidential funds on 34 safehouses in 2022 — COA

The House mega panel has urged Duterte to attend the next hearingaurora game, after excusing himself on October 22 for feeling unwell, to address the allegations made against him on the execution of his war on drugs.

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