00:01Former Education Undersecretary Michael Poa says he didn't know it was the DepEd security officer who handled the agency's confidential
00:09funds.
00:10The prosecution is considering dropping the third article on bribery in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.
00:16The Office of Vice President Sara Duterte asks for a budget of over P785 million for 2027.
00:22The Sandigan Bayan 5th Division drops the plunder and graft cases against former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
00:30And Filipino tennis star Alex Ayala starts her U.S. Open campaign with a dominant win.
00:43Former DepEd Chief of Staff Michael Poa says he didn't know it was the security officer of Vice President and
00:49then Education Secretary Sara Duterte who handled the agency's confidential funds.
00:54But he was the one who prepared the DepEd's response to the 2024 findings of the Commission on Audit on
00:58the agency's confidential funds use.
01:00Private Prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. asks Poa if a House inquiry in November 2024 where details of the fund turnover
01:08were revealed was the first time he knew about this.
01:10Was that the first time that you heard it during that hearing?
01:14The security officer?
01:16That the funds were transferred to Colonel Nolasco?
01:19I'll be more precise actually. That was the first time that I heard that there was a security officer.
01:24In February 2024, Poa slapped DepEd with an audit observation memorandum and flagged the agency's 75 million pesos in confidential
01:32spending due to insufficient documentation.
01:35In a reply letter in April 2024, DepEd explained its fund utilization and attached certifications from the AFP on the
01:42success of its youth leadership summits.
01:44The DepEd supposedly spent 15 million pesos for reward payments for the activities.
01:49But military officials on Tuesday said the DepEd did not give any funds to the AFP for the conduct of
01:54the counter-insurgency activities.
01:56Poa also confirms no transfer of funds between the agencies happened.
02:00The prosecution points out Poa defended expenditures he had no knowledge of to state auditors.
02:05He answered for 112.5 million pesos he knew absolutely nothing about.
02:12Siya ang inatasan ng vice-presidenteng sumagot sa koa.
02:15Hindi ang SDO, hindi ang nag-disburse ng pera, hindi ang tumanggap ng pera, ang abugadong walang alam.
02:25The prosecution is considering dropping the article of impeachment alleging Vice President Sara Duterte bribed Department of Education officials.
02:32We do not want a protracted hearing. Ibig sabihin ayaw namin ng mahabang hearing.
02:38Kasi kung ito ay isasalang pa namin, naabutin na tayo ng Pasko at New Year.
02:44Prosecution Advisor Robert Ace Barbers adds they are also planning to cut the number of witnesses for the first article
02:49on misuse of confidential funds.
02:51We are actually planning to reduce the number of witnesses that we will present.
02:58Kasi this is one way to abbreviate itong trial dito sa article na ito.
03:03Sa palagi naman namin, yung dalawang na ipunto na namin, yung article 4 at saka article 1, ay parehas na
03:13ipresenta na namin yung mga ebidensya na dapat na marinig ng publiko at ng mga senator judges.
03:20So, isa na lamang dahil ito naman talaga inaabangan ng lahat ng mga kababayan natin ang unexplained wealth.
03:29Meantime, Lead Defense Lawyer Sheila Cison says,
03:43The prosecution initially requested eight trial dates to present its bribery case and listed four potential witnesses.
03:50But Lead Prosecutor Jinky Luisto says the House team hopes to finish presenting the case on confidential funds by September
03:569.
03:58The Office of the Vice President proposes a budget of over 785 million pesos for 2027.
04:05This will fund direct aid programs for citizens including food, transportation, and school supplies.
04:11The Department of Budget and Management endorses the proposed 785.2 million peso OVP budget under the 2027 National Expenditure
04:19Program.
04:20It is 11.7% below the 889 million pesos it received for 2026.
04:25There are no fireworks during the House Appropriations Committee's hearing on the OVP's proposed budget on Wednesday, September 2.
04:33OVP Undersecretary Zulaika Lopez appears at ease despite her bad blood with the House of Representatives.
04:39Lopez was cited in contempt in 2024.
04:42Her detention that year set the stage for her boss Sara Duterte's online tirade where she said she talked to
04:47an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,
04:50First Lady Lisa Araneta Marcos, and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
04:54The budget hearing wrapped up in less than two hours.
04:58Lawmakers who had been among Duterte's most vocal critics asked questions, but there was little of the confrontation that had
05:03marked previous encounters.
05:05Duterte faces an ongoing impeachment trial while preparing for a presidential campaign she has already announced for 2028.
05:13The Sandigan Bayan 5th Division drops the plunder and graft cases against former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary
05:20Manuel Bonoan.
05:22Sandigan Bayan presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Ekong confirms this.
05:25The Office of the Ombudsman is looking at Bonoan as state witness in the multi-billion flood control scandal.
05:31But Bonoan's bid to become a state witness is still uncertain as he faces one count of graft before 2nd
05:36Division.
05:36Along with Senator Jinggoy Estrada, they were charged in May after the Ombudsman found an intricate mechanism involving allegedly illegal
05:43budget insertions and project allocations at the DPWH in 2025.
05:48Bonoan will be released from detention since the 5th Division dropped the cases against him while he's out on bail
05:53for the case before the 2nd Division.
05:57Filipino tennis star Alex Ayala makes a strong start in her U.S. Open campaign
06:03Ayala defeated American qualifier Mary Stoyana 6-1-6-2 in the first round at Louise Armstrong Stadium in New
06:10York on Wednesday, September 2, Manila time.
06:13Ayala quickly took control of the match, winning the first five games before closing up the opening set in just
06:1831 minutes.
06:20Stoyana, ranked No. 122 in the world, briefly fought back in the second set and took a 2-1 lead.
06:26But Ayala responded by winning four straight games to seal the match in one hour and 18 minutes.
06:32The victory sends Ayala to the second round of the U.S. Open for the second straight year.
06:36She will next phase Ukraine's Oleksandra Olenikova in the round of 64.
06:42And that's today's wrap. I'm Julian Sereneo. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story. For
06:48more updates, download the Raptor app.
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