2nd hostile witness says VP approved all uses of secret funds

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte knew and had authorized all activities related to the use of confidential funds under her office’s disposal, a top official of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) testified during Duterte’s impeachment trial on Tuesday.

“Based on my understanding, Sir, and based on what I know, Sir, yes, the Vice President knows about the confidential activities and how it is being implemented,” Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio, who is also the OVP assistant chief of staff, told the Senate impeachment court on the 18th day of the trial.

Declared by the court as the second hostile witness, Ortonio was responding to questions from Sen. Francis Escudero, the presiding officer.

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Escudero particularly wanted to find out if Duterte knew, supervised, allowed and authorized everything related to the funds—from requesting the money from the Department of Budget and Management, to how it was cashed, released, spent, liquidated, and how the OVP responded to the Commission on Audit issuances.

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“She knew and authorized everything?” Escudero asked, to which Ortonio responded “Yes, your Honor.”

Spent in 11 days

Ortonio also confirmed that in 2022, the OVP managed to disburse P125 million in confidential funds in just 11 days, from Dec. 21 to Dec. 31, 2022. He said the funds were requested and planned for the fourth quarter of that year or from October to December.

Asked by Escudero why the fund was immediately spent when the budget was good for two years, Ortonio said this was because the request was made for 2022, particularly in the last quarter.

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During direct examination, prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia asked Ortonio if there was any “threat of cataclysmic proportion” against Duterte when the OVP requested confidential funds for that year.

But defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected, calling Divinagracia’s phrasing vague and lacking basis.

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The prosecution lawyer clarified that she was asking about any serious threat against Duterte during the period within which the confidential funds were requested.

At this point, Ortonio said he had no personal knowledge of any threats against the Vice President which may have justified the request for or use of money.

But he explained that such concerns were not part of his duties and that such information should come from the OVP’s security personnel.

Guarding VP

Divinagracia also noted that as much as P500 million was allocated for the security of the Vice President, on top of the “473 soldiers and police officers guarding her, paid for by the Republic from other funds.”

“No Vice President in history has ever had this,” she said.

The prosecution lawyer also described the explanations given for the OVP confidential funds as a “sham,” and that the supposed failure to account for such “gives rise to the presumption of misappropriation.”

This drew another objection from Ferrer, noting that the statement was a “conclusion of fact and law,” aside from being “mere speculations and conjectures … all theories.”

Also on Tuesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said Malacañang believed that the prosecution had presented enough evidence to convict Duterte over her alleged misuse of confidential funds.

“According to the Palace, in a way, yes,” Castro said, noting that OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta established that Duterte ordered the release of confidential funds to retired Army Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, the former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.

Castro said Acosta, in her testimony during the trial’s 17th day on Monday, pointed to the Vice President and Lachica as the ones who controlled the disbursement of the confidential funds of the OVP amounting to P500 million.

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Acosta testified that she released confidential funds to Lachica, despite not being an OVP-bonded disbursing officer, on Duterte’s orders. —WITH REPORTS FROM KEITH CLORES, AND DEXTER CABALZA