The Philippine Army’s Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) was established long before Vice President Sara Duterte assumed leadership of the Department of Education (DepEd), a military official testified during her Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday, September 1.
Appearing on the trial’s 20th day, Col. Manaros Boransing II clarified under direct examination by private prosecutor Reynaldo Robles that the YLS was an existing Armed Forces initiative rather than a DepEd creation or a project funded through confidential appropriations.
“The [YLS] is a long-time Philippine Army program or Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) program,” Boransing testified.
According to Boransing, the summits originated to counter student and youth recruitment by violent extremist and insurgent groups.
“The first official, according to the Army’s historical records, the first record was 2002 in Southern Tagalog,” he noted, adding that the 1st Infantry Division held a summit in Sulu as early as 2005.
“It’s definitely annually…It is part of the regular program of the Philippine Army if it is requested by our subordinate unit,” Boransing said.
Boransing explained that while the Army spearheaded the initiative, an interagency working group—which included DepEd, local government units, and police—collaborated on logistical details when schools and students were involved.
“Well, sir, it’s the Army, and we try to have the local government unit involved as much as possible,” he said.
“There were some inputs from DepEd, sir, because some of the areas are schools, and many of the participants are students. So definitely, they were involved in the planning and the choosing of the areas,” he added, noting that DepEd provided guidance regarding academic schedules, venues, and student clearances.
Addressing financial aspect, Boransing emphasized that the military utilized its standard operational funds to conduct the activities, while LGUs and partner agencies covered their respective expenses.
“It’s part of the regular budget, sir,” Boransing said regarding the Army’s allocations.
The witness issued a certification on January 1, 2024, covering eight YLS sessions and 53 Information Education Campaign activities held in 2023.
DepEd later submitted these certifications in response to a Commission on Audit memorandum questioning ₱15.54 million in confidential funds allegedly paid to informants.
Boransing stated he could not determine if DepEd’s involvement stemmed from confidential operations.