The Senate impeachment court bypassed the testimonies of two military officers on Tuesday after the prosecution and defense panels agreed on crucial facts regarding Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) certifications related to Department of Education (DepEd) confidential funds.
Atty. Regie Tongol, speaking on behalf of the impeachment tribunal, confirmed that Maj. Gen. Adonis Bajao and Lt. Col. Carlos Sangdaan Jr. were excused from taking the stand, effectively streamlining the prosecution’s schedule of military witnesses.
Both legal teams stipulated that the two officers issued documentation identical to the certifications provided by prior witnesses Lt. Col. Manaros Boransing II and Lt. Col. Magtangol Panopio.
Crucially, both panels agreed that no DepEd confidential funds were transferred to the military to conduct Youth Leadership Summits (YLS).
“Wala pong lipatan, walang nangyaring paglipat ng confidential funds from DepEd to the AFP, which was agreed on by the House Prosecution Panel,” Tongol said in a media briefing.
The stipulation followed testimonies from Boransing and Panopio, who independently testified about military certifications issued for joint YLS activities with DepEd.
Boransing, testifying as the prosecution’s eighth witness, underwent extensive questioning from 11 senator-judges. Inquiries centered on how military certifications were utilized in liquidating DepEd confidential funds and whether the initiatives involved active intelligence gathering.
Following Boransing’s dismissal, prosecution member Atty. Reynaldo Robles requested the defense to stipulate on the anticipated testimonies of Panopio, Bajao, and Sangdaan to expedite the trial process. While the defense declined to completely waive Panopio, they agreed that the remaining officers issued similar paperwork and that no money moved from DepEd to the AFP for the youth summits.
Panopio subsequently testified as the ninth prosecution witness. During his time on the stand, senator-judges probed whether military certifications merely proved that activities occurred or if they validated how confidential funds were allocated.
The panel also questioned whether DepEd shared confidential information with military authorities or engaged in actual intelligence coordination.
Following the agreement to excuse Bajao and Sangdaan, the prosecution is scheduled to present Atty. Michael Poa as its 10th witness when proceedings resume Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Poa, a member of Vice President Sara Duterte’s current legal team, previously served as DepEd undersecretary and chief of staff during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.