By Jose Cielito Reganit | Philippine News Agency
More unusual names surfaced Monday in acknowledgment receipts for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Former OVP special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, testifying as a hostile witness for the House prosecution, acknowledged that she did not personally witness Col. Raymund Dante Lachica make the payments attributed to the individuals named in the receipts.
House prosecution counsel Amando Virgil Ligutan presented the documents as he questioned Acosta on how she accounted for confidential funds released to Lachica for operations on the ground.
Receipts showed Antonio Pagong purportedly receiving P100,000 for the purchase of information; Timon Andrew Pusa receiving P100,000 for the rental of a transport vehicle; Don Piang receiving P250,000 for transport rental; Shane Ngitngit for P150,000; and Xuniso P. Belat for P100,000.
Asked whether she personally saw Lachica hand the money to the recipients, Acosta said she did not.
“Hindi ko siya nakita, Your Honor, kasi wala po ako doon sa ground. Siya po ang nag-implement, Your Honor,” Acosta testified, repeatedly saying that she did not see Lachica make the payments reflected in the documents.
The names surfaced as acknowledgment receipts supporting the OVP’s confidential fund spending remain under scrutiny in the impeachment proceedings.
The questioning focused on whether Acosta, as the accountable SDO, had firsthand knowledge that the money reflected in the receipts actually reached the people named in them.
Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero asked Acosta whether she personally knew that the funds had been given to the listed recipients or actually spent for supplies.
“Wala po,” Acosta replied, repeating that she relied on Lachica and the documents he submitted to her in accounting for the confidential fund expenditures.
She also acknowledged that she sought verification from Lachica himself.
“Nag-verify po ako sa kanya, Your Honor. Tinanong ko po siya, Your Honor,” Acosta testified.
According to Acosta, Lachica told her that the documents he provided served as proof of the expenditures and that the operations involved “sensitive and confidential information.”
Ligutan then asked whether Acosta ultimately relied on the same officer who had supplied the documents to verify the transactions.
“Opo,” she replied.
The receipts formed part of the documentation for the confidential funds Acosta released to Lachica, whom, Acosta testified, Duterte had designated to implement the OVP’s confidential activities.
Acosta testified she released four P125-million cash tranches totaling P500 million to Lachica from December 2022 through the third quarter of 2023.
She also confirmed that Lachica was not fidelity-bonded, while she remained accountable for the funds as SDO.
The testimony forms part of the House prosecution’s presentation on the first impeachment charge involving Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds. (PNA)
