Colonel Lachica not an employee of OVP, says witness Ortonio

Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio said Wednesday that former Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) chief Colonel Raymund Lachica was not employed, but designated, at the OVP.

Ortonio said this on Day 19 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte when asked by Senator-Judge Vicente "Tito" Sotto III about the employment status of Lachica at the OVP.

"Colonel Lachica po is the group commander of the VPSPG and he is not an employee of the OVP, but he has an order coming from the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) designating him as the group commander for the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group," Ortonio answered.

Sotto pressed, "Therefore, designation… He is not employed? He does not have any employment status in the Office of the Vice President?"

Ortonio answered in the affirmative.

READ: Who is Col. Raymund Lachica, mentioned at VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial?

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it has terminated its inquiry into allegations against Lachica and his involvement in the alleged misuse of confidential funds, after the Office of the Ombudsman took cognizance of the complaints against him.

To recall, at the House committee hearing in November 2024, disbursement officers from the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd)—which was previously headed by Duterte—said millions of pesos in confidential funds were transferred to former VPSPG deputy commander Colonel Dennis Nolasco and Lachica.

During the impeachment trial proceedings on August 17, former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta reaffirmed her November 2024 testimony that it was the Vice President who asked her to disburse the P125 million in confidential funds to Lachica.

Acosta said she released a total of P500 million of confidential funds in 2022 and 2023 to Lachica on the orders of Duterte, and in recognition of Lachica's expertise on security matters even if existing guidelines do not allow it. — VDV, GMA News