Lito Lapid questions use of surname on OVP acknowledgment receipt

Sen. Lito Lapid on Monday asked former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta why his surname appeared on an acknowledgment receipt in the disbursement of the OVP's confidential funds.

Lapid asked the question during the continuation of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

"Lapid" was one of the surnames of senator-judges that appeared in the OVP's disbursement of confidential funds in 2023.

Acosta had testified that it was Colonel Raymund Lachica, the security officer of the OVP, who disbursed the OVP’s P500 million worth of confidential funds.

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa defense [team] at kay Lachica kung nabigyan ‘yung kamag-anak ko. Eh kung hindi, kung alias yun, paano ‘yung pangalan at apelyido namin na inalias niyo lang pala [at] hindi totoong tao?,” Lapid said during Day 17 of the Vice President's impeachment trial.

(I will thank the defense team if my relatives were indeed recipients of these. But if they are not and it was just an alias, what happens to our name, our surname that you used as alias.)

Acosta did not give a clear answer to Lapid’s question, saying that the acknowledgment receipts bearing the Lapid name as one of the confidential fund recipients are all from Lachica, and that she merely relied on Lachica’s accounts.

Lapid then asked Acosta what made her trust Lachica so much, and if Lachica had managed the fund himself for Acosta to place such trust.

Acosta replied by saying, “Hindi ko alam, Your Honor.”

(I do not know.) –NB, GMA News