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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Robin Padilla links DepEd to communist recruitment in universities

Robin Padilla links DepEd to communist recruitment in universities

Published Aug 5, 2026 04:06 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator-judge Robin Padilla asked COA auditor Roderick Wamil whether confidential funds and confidential agents are important, with Wamil responding that their necessity depends on the mandate of the agency.
  • The senator linked DepEd's need for confidential funds to his claim that the Communist Party of the Philippines' political wing recruits from universities, but Wamil declined to comment, saying he could not answer the question.
  • Before raising the issue, Padilla questioned Wamil's personal experience, asking whether he understood the challenges in remote communities and the security situation in BARMM.
Senator-judge Robin Padilla on Wednesday, August 5, linked the Department of Education (DepEd), in charge of basic education in the Philippines from kindergarten up to senior high school, to back his claim of communist recruitment from universities.
Senator-judge Robin Padilla (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator-judge Robin Padilla (Senate PRIB photo)
Padilla said this during his questioning of former Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
"Alam naman po natin na ang DepEd, diyan po nanggagaling ang tinatawag naming sa Communist Party po, meron po kasing pangkat-gerilya at pangkat-political. Yung pangkat-political, yan po yung mga estudyante na nagagaling sa unibersidad (We all know that the DepEd is where, according to what we in the Communist Party call it, there are two groups: the guerrilla group and the political group. The political group consists of students who come from the universities)," Padilla said.
The senator-judge first asked Wamil whether he believed confidential funds and confidential agents played an important role in government operations.
Wamil replied that the importance of confidential funds depended on the mandate of the government agency involved.
The senator then turned to DepEd, saying that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has both an armed wing and a political wing, and claimed that the latter draws its members from universities. He asked Wamil whether he agreed with that assertion.
Wamil declined to answer, saying, "I cannot answer that, Your Honor."
Yet all universities in the Philippines operate under the supervision, regulation, and policies of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This includes public, private, and specialized institutions.
Before turning to the audit itself, Padilla sought to establish Wamil's perspective by asking about his personal background and experience.
Padilla also pressed Wamil on his familiarity with the situation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Wamil responded that his work did not involve assessing conditions on the ground or conducting investigations, explaining that his responsibility as an auditor was limited to examining the documents submitted for confidential fund liquidation.
"Kayo po ay nakarating na sa BARMM? (Have you been to BARMM?)" Padillas asked.
Wamil answered in the affirmative.
He questioned whether the former state auditor had firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by remote communities, including limited access to medicine and the country's security threats—circumstances the defense has cited to justify Vice President Sara Duterte's use of confidential funds.
"Hindi po kayo exposed, pero kayo po ang humahawak ng investigation sa confidential fund? (You're not exposed, but you're the one handling the investigation on confidential funds?)" Padilla asked.
Wamil said that there's no investigation, but an evaluation.

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Robin Padilla Department of Education confidential funds Vice President Sara Duterte
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