House prosecution cites recurring confidential fund handling pattern

MANILA, Philippines — House prosecution said evidence presented in Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial showed what it described as a recurring pattern in the handling of confidential funds stretching from her tenure as Davao City mayor to her leadership of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd).

“Nagpalit ng opisina. Bakit parang hindi nagpalit ng sistema? (Offices changed, but the system stayed the same)” House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said Friday.

Barbers said several personnel later associated with the OVP and DepEd had previously worked with Duterte in Davao City, while the prosecution saw similarities in the way confidential funds were handled.

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But he cautioned against treating a Davao connection by itself as evidence of wrongdoing.

“Ang connection sa Davao ay simula ng pagsisiyasat, hindi ito hatol sa bawat taong nanggaling doon (The start of the investigation will be from the Davao connection, it’s not a judgment to very person who came from there),” Barbers said.

“Ang dapat tutukan ay ang ginawa. Sino ang naglabas? Sino ang tumanggap? At sino ang nag-utos? (We must focus on what took place. Who released? Who received? And who gave the order?).”

Among those cited by Barbers were Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio and former special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, who held roles in Davao City before subsequently serving under the OVP, as well as lawyer Sunshine Fajarda, who later became a DepEd assistant secretary.

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Barbers also recalled Acosta’s testimony concerning the handling of confidential funds while Duterte was Davao City mayor.

The prosecution is comparing that testimony with evidence on how confidential funds were subsequently handled under the OVP and DepEd.

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In the OVP, Acosta testified that she encashed confidential funds and turned the cash over to Duterte’s security officer, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, despite remaining the accountable officer herself.

Under DepEd, the prosecution has presented evidence tracing confidential fund cash from special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda to security officer Col. Dennis Nolasco.

Barbers said the similarities in personnel, movement of cash and handling of accountability documents warranted scrutiny.

“Kung may modus na nauulit, kailangan malaman kung sino ang nagdala at nagdirekta nito (If there’s a modus that’s repeated, we must know who directs it),” he said.

The prosecution has accused Duterte of misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation involving P500 million in OVP confidential funds and P112.5 million in DepEd confidential funds.

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Duterte has denied the allegations. The prosecution’s claimed Davao-OVP-DepEd pattern remains its theory of the case and is subject to the Senate impeachment court’s determination.