Manila: The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to delve deeper into the PHP612.5 million confidential funds trial next week as her two former aides who handled the disbursement of the funds are expected to take the witness stand. Before Wednesday's hearing adjourned, lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' Luistro informed the Senate impeachment court that former special disbursing officers Gina Acosta of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Edward Fajarda of the Department of Education (DepEd) would be among the prosecution's next witnesses.
According to Philippines News Agency, Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis 'Chiz' Escudero then ordered the issuance of subpoenas ad testificandum and, where necessary, subpoenas duces tecum for Acosta and Fajarda. The PHP612.5 million under scrutiny consists of PHP500 million in confidential funds released to the OVP for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023, and PHP112.5 million released to the DepEd for the first three quarters of 2023 while Duterte was education secretary.
Earlier in the trial, former LandBank branch manager Violeta Constantino testified that Acosta encashed four Treasury checks worth PHP125 million each, totaling PHP500 million, for the OVP in December 2022, February 2023, April 2023, and July 2023. Former LandBank branch manager Nenita Camposano, meanwhile, testified that Fajarda encashed three Treasury checks worth PHP37.5 million each, totaling PHP112.5 million, for the DepEd in February, April, and July 2023.
COA state auditor Roderick Wamil later identified Acosta and Fajarda as the special disbursing officers who received the confidential funds and submitted the liquidation documents for their respective offices. The expected testimonies of Acosta and Fajarda follow questions raised during Wednesday's hearing on whether the special disbursing officers, rather than Duterte, should be held accountable for the confidential funds.
House prosecutor Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the COA witness had already clarified that, under government accounting rules, the accountable officer is the head of the agency. '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 (Our witness has answered earlier that it is the head of the agency, which in this case, the Vice President, at the OVP and at the DepEd, as education secretary),' Chua said.
House trial spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the documentary evidence presented before the impeachment court consistently identified Duterte as the approving authority. He noted that the physical and financial plans, disbursement vouchers, accomplishment reports, and utilization reports all bore Duterte's signature as head of agency.
'So, kaya hindi po pwedeng sabihin na wala po siyang accountability pagdating po dito sa confidential fund (it cannot be said that she has no accountability when it comes to the confidential funds),' Adiong said. Adiong also pointed to the testimony of the two former LandBank managers, who said the bank received advance notice before Acosta encashed four PHP125-million Treasury checks on behalf of the OVP. According to him, that testimony placed the OVP, headed by Duterte, at the center of the transactions.
'So unfair kung si Ms. Acosta at saka si Mr. Fajarda ang hahabulin ng COA. Sila lang naman 'yung inutusan (it's unfair for COA to go after Acosta and Fajarda. They were just the ones ordered),' he said.
