Gina Acosta says she does not know why she was hired by Sara Duterte

Former special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta said Monday that she does not know why Vice President Sara Duterte hired her when she was Davao City mayor and later at the Office of the Vice President (OVP), where she was entrusted with disbursing up to P500 million in confidential funds.

“Hindi ko alam, Your Honor, kung bakit ako ang kinuha ng Bise Presidente as SDO [ng OVP at Davao City],” Acosta said.

Acosta made the remark in response to questions from private prosecutor Amando Ligutan and Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero about why she was hired as an SDO, given her previous testimony in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte.

Testifying as a prosecution hostile witness during the 17th day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Acosta had testified that:

• she is not an expert in confidential operations;
• she disbursed the OVP's P500 million confidential fund for 2022 and 2023 to Colonel Raymund Lachica, the OVP's security officer, despite this being prohibited under the 2015-01 Joint Circular governing the use of confidential funds; and
• the 2015-01 Joint Circular does not require an SDO to have a background in confidential operations.

Asked about her educational background, Acosta said she holds a degree in Customs Administration.

The 2015-01 Joint Circular, meanwhile, defines an SDO as the “head of agency or a regular employee designated by the head of agency to be in charge of making disbursements of confidential or intelligence fund received and accountable therefore.”

The same Joint Circular also states that disbursements of confidential and intelligence funds should be supported by documentary evidence of payment in a sealed envelope signed by the SDO and kept at all times in the vault in his or her office.

Acosta earlier told the impeachment court and the House justice committee, which conducted hearings on impeachment complaints against the Vice President, that she disbursed the OVP's P500 million confidential fund allocation to Lachica on the instructions of Duterte.

Pressed by Ligutan and Escudero on whether she was hired as the OVP and Davao City's SDO during Duterte's tenure as mayor because she consistently followed the Vice President's instructions, Acosta again said she had no idea.

“Hindi ko alam, Your Honor. Basta ginagawa ko lang ang trabaho ko na pagiging SDO,” Acosta said.

(I don't know, Your Honor. I am just doing my job as the SDO.) — MCG, GMA News