The Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to focus heavily on ₱612.5 million in disputed confidential funds next week, with the prosecution calling two former aides who managed the money’s disbursement to take the stand.
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s session, lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro announced that former special disbursing officers Gina Acosta of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Edward Fajarda of the Department of Education (DepEd) will be called as prosecution witnesses.
Following the disclosure, presiding officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Senate President Win Gatchalian ordered the issuance of subpoenas ad testificandum and duces tecum to compel Acosta and Fajarda to present themselves and produce pertinent documents.
The funds under scrutiny include ₱500 million granted to the OVP between late 2022 and late 2023, along with ₱112.5 million issued to DepEd during the first three quarters of 2023, while Duterte was serving as education secretary.
Previous trial testimony established how the funds were accessed:
- OVP Allocation: Former LandBank manager Violeta Constantino testified that Gina Acosta encashed four Treasury checks worth ₱125 million each between December 2022 and July 2023, totaling ₱500 million.
- DepEd Allocation: Former LandBank manager Nenita Camposano testified that Edward Fajarda encashed three Treasury checks worth ₱37.5 million each across February, April, and July 2023, totaling ₱112.5 million.
- Custody & Liquidation: COA state auditor Roderick Wamil confirmed both aides took custody of the funds and later submitted the corresponding liquidation reports.
The upcoming testimonies follow debates during Wednesday’s trial regarding whether legal accountability for the funds sits with the disbursing officers or with Duterte, who led both institutions during the transactions.
House prosecution panel member and Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua highlighted that Commission on Audit (COA) rules clearly assign primary liability to agency heads.
“Sinagot naman ng ating testigo kanina na ‘yung head of agency, which in this case, sa OVP, ang Vice President, at doon sa DepEd, ang Secretary of Education,” Chua said.
Prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong reinforced that submitted records—including financial plans, disbursement vouchers, and usage reports—consistently bear Duterte’s signature as the authorizing official.
“So, kaya hindi po pwedeng sabihin na wala po siyang accountability pagdating po dito sa confidential fund,” Adiong said.
Adiong also noted bank testimony revealing that LandBank received prior notices before Acosta encashed the OVP checks, directly tying the transactions to Duterte’s office.
“So unfair kung si Ms. Acosta at saka si Mr. Fajarda ang hahabulin ng COA. Sila lang naman ‘yung inutusan,” he said.