Gina Acosta: P500M OVP confi fund released to Lachica on Sara Duterte's order

Former Office of the Vice President (OVP) Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta on Monday said that she released P500 million of confidential funds in 2022 and 2023 to Colonel Raymund Lachica on the orders of Vice President Sara Duterte, as well as Lachica’s expertise on security matters even if existing guidelines do not allow it.

During the direct examination of private prosecutor Amando Ligutan, Acosta confirmed her November 2024 testimony before the House panel inquiry that it was the Vice President who asked her to disburse the P125-million confidential funds to Lachica.

“Yung sagot ninyo was because po may utos po ni Ma'am Inday Sara na sa kanya po i-release kasi siya po ang nakakaalam kung paano po i-implement ang mga programs and activities in line po sa confidential activities. You confirm that?” Ligutan asked.

(You said it was released to Lachica on the Vice President's orders, and Lachica has expertise on implementing confidential activities?)

“Yes, Your Honor. Siya (Lachica) lang ‘yung may alam on how to implement 'yung confidential activities,” Acosta said.

Likewise, Acosta replied in the affirmative when asked if she also released the OVP’s P375 million confidential fund allocation for 2023 to Lachica for the same reasons.

But when pressed by Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero if the Joint Circular 2015-01 states that it is the job of the security officer to disburse or spend confidential fund, Acosta conceded that it was not.

“Hindi po [trabaho iyon ng security officer], Your Honor. Trabaho po 'yan ng…disbursing officer, Your Honor. Pero, pag na-release ko na po ang pera sa kanya, Your Honor, pinareceive ko sa kanya, Your Honor, magbigay po siya sa akin ng utilization report,” Acosta said.

(It is not the job of the security officer. It is the job of the disbursing officer. But when I release the money to him, he is the receiving party on the record, and he gives me a utilization report.)

Ligutan then quizzed Acosta why she released the P500 million worth of OVP’s confidential fund to Lachica in 2022 and 2023 when the Joint Circular 2015-01 mandates that it is the SDO who should disburse it.

Acosta justified her decision by leaning on Lachica’s status as designated security officer of the OVP.

“Hindi ko ibibigay kung hindi siya (Lachica) ang designated security officer [ng OVP],” Acosta said.

(I would not have given it to him if he wasn’t the designated security officer.)

Ligutan then pressed Acosta if such deference to Lachica is because “she could not dare question the Vice President’s decision.”

Defense counsel Lindon Miguel Bacquel objected to the question for being argumentative, which Escudero sustained given that Acosta already gave two reasons why she released the confidential fund to Lachica. —AOL, GMA News