LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial (August 25, 2026)

The House prosecution team is not afraid of Colonel Raymund Lachica’s possible testimony before the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House prosecution panel spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa, Jr. as well as lead prosecutor Representative Gerville Luistro of Batangas made the position on the same day that Lachica, the former security officer of the OVP, said he will never refuse to testify before the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

Tolosa noted that while the prosecution is not required to list Lachica as its witness, the prosecution is ready to cross-examine if the defense brings him in as a witness.

Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio on Tuesday said that Vice President Sara Duterte is knowledgeable about how the P500 million in confidential funds allocated to her office were spent.

Ortonio made the confirmation when Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero took over the questioning from private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia, who asked Ortonio if the Vice President was the mastermind and architect of how the OVP’s confidential funds were disbursed.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero expressed optimism Tuesday that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will wrap up by the end of the year.

Escudero said this on the 18th day of the impeachment trial when Senator-Judge Juan Miguel Zubiri asked for an updated timeline of the proceedings, considering that the Senate will already begin deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget. 

Escudero, in response, said that the court will release a more specific schedule for the impeachment trial once Senate Committee on Finance chairman JV Ejercito comes up with a calendar for the budget deliberations.

“In broad strokes, the presiding officer is optimistic and hopeful that we will complete these proceedings before the end of the year,” Escudero stressed.

“Once that comes out, Senator-Judge Zubiri, we can roughly give you a picture and an idea with respect to the timeline and the schedule, and if we will shift, and if we will indeed shift, how and when,” he added. 

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero said Tuesday that a new subpoena will be issued to former Department of Education (DepEd) special disbursing officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda once he finishes his required bed rest after reportedly suffering a stroke.

On the 18th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Escudero said that he received a report from the director of the Senate Medical and Dental Bureau regarding the health condition of Fajarda.

“[Dr. Sison’s report is] confirming the condition of Mr. Fajarda that he is recommended to have bed rest or to rest for two weeks, which began last August 20, and which shall end on September 3,” Escudero said.

The presiding officer thus instructed the clerk of court to issue the corresponding subpoena and compel Fajarda to attend the subsequent trial date, which is on September 7, 2026, at 10 a.m. 

Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday said he paid for P150,000 out of his personal money to address the funding request of OVP Security officer Colonel Raymund Lachica for confidential operations.

Ortonio made the testimony during the direct examination of private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia during Day 18 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Inilapit po ito sa akin ni Maam Gina Acosta,” Ortonio, a hostile witness for the prosecution, said.

(Miss Gina Acosta came to me for this.)

The P150,000 was the discrepancy that the state auditors flagged since the OVP liquidated P125,150,000 of its confidential fund allocation in 2022 when it only received P125 million.

Asked if there was a documentary evidence that he paid for such request by Lachica, Ortonio replied by saying he granted Lachica’s request.

Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio on Tuesday confirmed that he was with OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta when she encashed checks for confidential funds.

Ortonio said this during his direct examination on the 18th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, when private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia asked if he was the lone company of Acosta when she encashed checks in the LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch.

“Just to clarify, Mr. Ortonio, in all four instances of encashment, sa apat na encashment ng apat na tseke, ikaw lamang ang kasama ni Ms. Gina Acosta na mag-encash at mag-withdraw ng pondo. Tama ba?” Divinagracia asked.

(Just to clarify, Mr. Ortonio, in all four instances, the encashment of the four checks, you were the only one with Ms. Gina Acosta to encash and withdraw the funds. Is that correct?)

Ortonio answered in the affirmative.

Malacañang said Tuesday that the testimony of former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta established Vice President Sara Duterte’s control over the confidential funds, but acknowledged that the impeachment court will ultimately decide whether the evidence is sufficient for conviction.

Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said Acosta’s testimony showed that Duterte ordered the release of the confidential funds to her security officer, retired Army Colonel Raymund Lachica.

“The witness ay umamin na ang nag-utos na ibigay ang confidential fund buo ay P125 million ay utos ng bise presidente. Sa kanyang security officer na si Colonel Lachica,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.

(The witness admitted that the order to give the entire P125 million confidential fund came from the Vice President, to her security officer, Colonel Lachica.)

Castro said Duterte’s physical handling of the money was not necessary to establish her alleged control over its use.

“Hindi naman kailangan hawakan ang pera para magastos. Puwedeng iutos lamang ito,” she said.

(You do not necessarily have to physically handle the money to spend it. You can simply order it.)

According to Castro, Acosta repeatedly testified that she merely relayed information to Lachica, whom she identified as the person who implemented the confidential activities on the ground.

Castro said this, together with Acosta’s testimony on Duterte’s instructions regarding the funds, showed that the “command” and “control” came from the Vice President.

“So para po sa Palasyo, na-establish talaga ang accountability ni Vice President Duterte pagdating dito sa pag-gasta ng confidential funds,” Castro said.

(So for the Palace, the Vice President’s accountability regarding the spending of the confidential funds has been established.)

The Palace, however, stopped short of saying that the testimony alone would result in Duterte’s conviction.

Asked whether Acosta’s statements were enough to convict Duterte on the particular impeachment article, Castro said the matter would depend on the impeachment judges.

“Depende po, depende po iyan sa magiging desisyon ng mga judges,” she said.

(It depends on the decision of the judges.)

Castro said the Palace believes the proceedings should ultimately be decided based on evidence rather than political considerations.

“Ang mga kababayan natin, mas marami ang gusto na ebidensya ang gamitin kesa sa issue ng politika,” she said.

(Our fellow Filipinos, many of them, want evidence to be used rather than political issues.)

She noted that relying on evidence would help ensure due process and justice.

“Kasi kapag ebidensya ang ginamit natin, mas matutugunan natin, unang-una, ang due process, justice, at kung ano ang nararapat at magiging benepisyo nito sa ating bansa at sa taumbayan.”

(Because if we use evidence, we can better uphold due process, justice, and what is proper and beneficial for the country and the people.)

Castro also said the Palace believes Lachica’s role in the handling and implementation of the confidential funds warrants further investigation.

She said the matter should be referred to the Office of the Ombudsman, which she described as a more neutral agency for determining whether there was wrongdoing or possible conspiracy in the use of the funds.

Acosta said on Monday that she released P500 million worth of confidential funds of the OVP to an unbonded officer, or an officer who is not accountable should the funds be lost.

Acosta then made the admission during the direct examination by private prosecutor Amando Ligutan on Day 17 of the impeachment trial of Duterte, with Ligutan pointing out that Acosta already earlier told the Senate impeachment court that she disbursed P500 million worth of confidential funds of the OVP to Colonel Raymund Lachica, the commanding officer of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.

Acosta also said that she does not know why Duterte hired her when she was Davao City mayor and later at the OVP, where she was entrusted with disbursing up to P500 million in confidential funds.

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. —Sherylin Untalan/KG, GMA News

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) Sara Duterte requested P250 million in confidential funds in August 2022 and submitted the corresponding spending plan almost a month later, OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio said Tuesday.

Ortonio made the confirmation during the direct examination of private prosecutor Mae Divinangracia during Day 18 of the impeachment trial of the Vice President.

"Yes, that's correct," Ortonio replied when asked to confirm that the Vice President signed off on the request for P250 million in confidential funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"In the context of the plans and programs of the OVP, there has already been plans already at the beginning of the term of the Vice President in July of 2020," Ortonio said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it has terminated its inquiry into allegations that Colonel Raymund Lachica was involved in the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

At a press briefing, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the military terminated the inquiry after the Office of the Ombudsman took cognizance of the complaints against Lachica.

Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) took the witness stand on Tuesday for the impeachment trial of her boss, Vice President Sara Duterte.

Ortonio's term as Assistant Chief of Staff is also co-terminus with that of the Vice President, which ends on June 30, 2028, and he has been working for the Vice President much of his professional life.

During the direct examination of private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia, Ortonio said that aside from being the Assistant Chief of Staff of the OVP, he also served as the Davao city government’s head of Human Resources Management Office from 2018 to 2022.

Likewise, Ortonio led the Davao City Promotions Center from 2016 to 2018.

When Vice President Duterte was Vice Mayor of Davao City from 2008 to 2010, Ortonio said he also served as her Chief-of-Staff.

Ortonio, however, said he started his professional life working for the state-run Home Development Mutual Fund and Davao City Chamber of Commerce.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero ultimately declared Ortonio as a hostile witness, given that he clearly serves at the pleasure of the Vice President and his current employment tenure is co-terminus with that of the Vice President.