Sitting as an impeachment court, the Senate officially designated Gina Acosta, the former special disbursing officer for Vice President Sara Duterte, as a hostile witness, allowing house prosecutors to subject her to leading questions.
The ruling was handed down on Monday by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who heads the tribunal, following a prosecution petition raised during questioning about Acosta’s current duties and professional relationship with Duterte.
Acosta confirmed that the Vice President remains her employer, detailing her present role as Vice Presidential Staff Officer VI—a coterminous position she assumed following her tenure handling the office’s special disbursements in 2022 and 2023.
Escudero inquired whether her employment would end if Duterte were removed from office, to which Acosta replied, “Wala na po akong trabaho sa OVP.”
In response, Escudero granted the motion to classify her as hostile, citing her job vulnerability alongside positions she previously took in an affidavit submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“In addition to the ground raised by Atty. Ligutan that the witness has taken a position by virtue of her counter-affidavit filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, the court hereby declares the witness to be a hostile witness under and in accordance with Rule 132, Section 13,” Escudero ruled.
Following the decision, private prosecution panel member Atty. Amando Ligutan gained permission to ask leading questions during examination, though Escudero cautioned that deceptive line-of-questioning remains forbidden.
Acosta marks the first witness to be formally declared hostile in the ongoing impeachment trial against Duterte.
Prosecution counsel Ligutan stated that Acosta’s testimony aims to demonstrate that Duterte directed her to withdraw ₱500 million in confidential funds across four transactions between December 2022 and July 2023, before surrendering the physical cash to an OVP security officer.
Furthermore, prosecutors intend to establish that the ₱500 million lacked proper liquidation and violated Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which regulates government intelligence funds.
The ₱500 million constitutes a major portion of the ₱612.5 million in confidential funds that the Vice President is accused of mismanaging.