MANILA – A former OVP disbursing officer told the Senate impeachment court on Monday that Vice President Sara Duterte personally ordered the release of PHP125 million in confidential funds to then Vice-Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSG) chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.
Gina Acosta, who previously served as a special disbursing officer of the Office of the Vice President, gave the testimony as the House prosecution panel pursued its case involving the handling of confidential funds in 2022.
During questioning by private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan, Acosta said Duterte herself instructed her to turn over the PHP125 million to Lachica.
The money had been withdrawn in cash from the Land Bank of the Philippines on Dec. 20, 2022, based on a PHP125-million OVP check. Acosta said the cash was subsequently handed to Lachica after being packed into four bags.
House prosecution spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said Acosta’s testimony supported the earlier accounts of LandBank officials regarding the withdrawal and receipt of the large cash amount.
The prosecution maintained, however, that Lachica was not authorized to receive or disburse the confidential funds because he was not an organic OVP employee nor the office’s officially designated special disbursing officer.
Tolosa said the testimony also answered a key question surrounding the transfer: why Acosta gave the money to Lachica. According to him, Acosta made clear that she acted because Duterte had instructed her to release the funds.
The disclosure caused a reaction inside the impeachment court, according to Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who said members of the proceedings visibly responded when Acosta identified Duterte as the source of the instruction.
Ridon said Acosta’s testimony carried particular weight because she was being treated as a hostile witness by the prosecution, unlike previous witnesses who testified based mainly on government records, audits and investigations.
The prosecution argued that Acosta’s account could establish a direct connection between Duterte and the release of the PHP125 million, potentially shifting the focus away from lower-ranking personnel who merely processed or handled the cash.
Meanwhile, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said questions remain about the ultimate destination of the money.
Abante challenged Duterte’s camp to clarify who eventually received the PHP125 million if Lachica was not the final recipient of the funds.
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