By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — A former Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) branch manager testified before the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday that representatives of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) transported ₱125 million in cash per transaction using three to four large gym bags, as prosecutors sought to establish alleged irregularities involving confidential funds.
Former LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch department manager Violeta Constantino told senator-judges that she personally supervised four cash withdrawals amounting to ₱500 million, each involving checks worth ₱125 million issued in favor of OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta.
Constantino became the prosecution’s first witness for Article I of the impeachment complaint, which alleges the misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of confidential funds during Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure at both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
According to the witness, each withdrawal was preceded by advance coordination between the OVP and the bank because the Shaw Boulevard branch normally did not keep enough cash on hand to immediately cover transactions of such magnitude. She testified that OVP cash liaison Queenie Masangkay would notify the branch one or two days before the scheduled encashment so the requested amount could be prepared.
After bank personnel verified the checks and supporting identification documents, the cash—bundled in ₱1-million packs—was brought to a secured room inside the branch for release to the authorized OVP representatives.
Constantino recalled that the money was loaded into three to four long bags resembling gym bags that had been brought by the OVP personnel.
She likewise testified that LandBank employees did not assist in carrying the bags outside the bank, explaining that institutional policy prohibited bank personnel from handling cash after it had been officially released to a client for security reasons.
The prosecution also established that the four checks were encashed on Dec. 20, 2022; Jan. 31, 2023; April 18, 2023; and July 13, 2023, with each withdrawal amounting to ₱125 million.
Constantino further testified that OVP official Lemuel Ortonio introduced Acosta during their first transaction. While she remembered Acosta being accompanied by several individuals during the withdrawals, she said she could no longer recall the exact number of companions.
The witness’ testimony forms part of the prosecution’s effort to support allegations that confidential funds under the OVP were handled and liquidated irregularly. The impeachment trial is expected to continue with additional witnesses and documentary evidence as both the prosecution and defense present their respective cases before the Senate impeachment court.
ia/mnm
