VP Trial Day 18: OVP assistant chief of staff to testify on secret funds

MANILA, Philippines – Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio will begin his testimony on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds (CFs) on Tuesday, the 18th day of her impeachment trial.

Ortonio supposedly accompanied former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta in encashing a total of P500 million in CFs from LandBank Shaw Blvd., in increments of P125 million every quarter from the last quarter of 2022 until the third quarter of 2023.

According to Acosta, Ortonio assisted her in transporting P125 million in cash placed in four traveling bags in all four quarters.

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READ: Duterte trial: Acosta ‘stupid in the name of blind loyalty’ – Tulfo 

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In previous exhibits presented, Ortonio’s signature also appeared as a signatory to some of the OVP’s submissions in response to the Commission on Audit’s audit observation memorandum, which seeks additional documentation to support the proper use of CFs.

READ: Witness: Sara Duterte’s ex-security aide disbursed funds for secret ops 

The House prosecution panel intends to have Ortonio declared a hostile witness, considering that he is Duterte’s subordinate.

Should the court rule Ortonio as hostile, the prosecution may ask leading questions during its examination.

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The Senate impeachment court is also expected to rule on the online behavior of the counsels for both parties after it flagged public statements that discuss the merits of the proceedings.

Such statements are prohibited under the impeachment rules. /mcm