House prosecutor and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua on Saturday likened the impeachment charge involving Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds to the fertilizer fund scam during the Arroyo administration, saying both cases ultimately hinge on whether public funds were used for their intended purpose.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, drawing a comparison to the fertilizer fund scam, Chua said both controversies involve determining whether government money actually reached its intended beneficiaries.
"Kung maaalala ninyo ’yung fertilizer scam, may pondo. ’Yung programa ng fertilizer ng gobyerno, magandang programa po ’yan. Talaga namang kinakailangan na merong programa para sa ating mga pananim. Pero ’pag ito po naglabas ng pondo at hindi po makita kung saan ginamit, parang ghost fertilizer, so ganun din po dito," Chua said in Filipino.
"Ito po may purpose kaya po ito binigay, may purpose… kailangan magamit sa purpose. Ngayon kapag hindi napatunayan kung nasaan na yung mga tao doon po may problema," he added.
The fertilizer fund scam, which Chua cited for comparison, involved allegations that around P728 million released by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 2004 for fertilizer assistance was diverted through questionable transactions instead of benefiting farmers. The controversy prompted investigations into whether the funds reached their intended recipients.
However, Ombudsman dismissed and cleared former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the graft and plunder complaints linked to the scam.
Chua said the prosecution is set to present two Commission on Audit (COA) officials and one witness from the Department of Education (DepEd) when the Senate impeachment court resumes proceedings on Monday, August 3, 2026.
The lawmaker said the prosecution would present COA officials to establish whether the disbursement of confidential and intelligence funds complied with government rules. He added that the COA witnesses are expected to testify on whether the spending followed guidelines on entitlement, release, utilization, reporting, and auditing of confidential and intelligence funds.
Chua said the state auditors' testimonies would focus on the COA's examination of Duterte's confidential fund expenditures and whether these complied with existing government regulations.
The confidential funds issue forms the basis of Article I of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of the systematic misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education between 2022 and 2023.
The amount consists of P500 million allocated to the OVP and P112.5 million to the DepEd, which Duterte previously headed.
During the impeachment trial on July 29, retired Land Bank of the Philippines manager Violeta Constantino testified that the OVP withdrew P500 million in cash through four separate transactions worth P125 million each. She described the large cash withdrawals as "unusual" and testified that the money was placed in gym bags after being encashed.
Another former Land Bank branch manager, Nenita Camposano also confirmed that Duterte's representatives made large cash withdrawals from the bank's Shaw Boulevard and DepEd branches.
According to testimony presented before the Senate impeachment court, the OVP withdrew P500 million through special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, while the DepEd withdrew P112.5 million through special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda in three transactions worth P37.5 million each.
Chua said one issue raised by the prosecution involves the alleged transfer of funds to unauthorized custodians, adding that both the head of the agency and the special disbursing officer could be held accountable if the funds were not spent for their intended purpose.
However, Chua stressed that the House prosecution still has the responsibility to prove its allegations before the impeachment court.
"Wala pa po tayong hinuhusgahan. ‘Yun po ay obligasyon namin na mapatunayan pa. Kaya po sa susunod po, kami po ay magpe-presenta ng mga testigo at mga ebidensya para patunayan kung meron man po na pagkukulang," he said.
