THE impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte is set to delve deeper into the P612.5 million confidential funds trail next week as her two former aides who handled the disbursement of the funds are expected to take the witness stand.
Before Wednesday’s hearing adjourned, lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro informed the Senate impeachment court that former special disbursing officers Gina Acosta of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Edward Fajarda of the Department of Education (DepEd) would be among the prosecution’s next witnesses.
Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero then ordered the issuance of subpoenas ad testificandum and, where necessary, subpoenas duces tecum for Acosta and Fajarda.
He also ordered subpoenas for Commission on Audit (COA) Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office Supervising Auditor Celine May Del Campo and House Legislative Information Resources Management Department Director Marivic Pareja.
Del Campo, who began testifying Wednesday, is expected to resume her testimony when the trial resumes next week.
The P612.5 million under scrutiny consists of P500 million in confidential funds released to the OVP for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023, and P112.5 million released to the DepEd for the first three quarters of 2023 while Duterte was education secretary.
Earlier in the trial, former Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) department manager Violeta Constantino testified that Acosta encashed four Treasury checks worth P125 million each, totaling P500 million, for the OVP in December 2022, February 2023, April 2023 and July 2023.
Former LandBank department manager Nenita Camposano, meanwhile, testified that Fajarda encashed three Treasury checks worth P37.5 million each, totaling P112.5 million, for the DepEd in February, April and July 2023.
COA state auditor Roderick Wamil later identified Acosta and Fajarda as the special disbursing officers who received the confidential funds and submitted the liquidation documents for their respective offices.
Speaking after Wednesday’s hearing, private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said both Acosta and Fajarda were the payees identified in the LandBank checks earlier presented by the prosecution.
“Nakita naman natin sa mga Land Bank checks na pinakita ni Cong. Joel Chua kung sino ang mga accountable officers diyan. At sila ang payee na tumanggap ng pera,” Kapunan said.
Their expected testimony follows questions raised during Wednesday’s hearing on whether the special disbursing officers, rather than Duterte, should be held accountable for the confidential funds.
House prosecutor Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the COA witness had already clarified that, under government accounting rules, the accountable officer is the head of agency.
“Sinagot naman ng ating testigo kanina na ‘yung head of agency, which in this case, sa OVP, ang Vice President, at doon sa DepEd, ang Secretary of Education,” Chua said.
House trial spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the documentary evidence presented before the impeachment court consistently identified Duterte as the approving authority.
He noted that the physical and financial plans, disbursement vouchers, accomplishment reports and utilization reports all bore Duterte’s signature as head of agency.
“So, kaya hindi po pwedeng sabihin na wala po siyang accountability pagdating po dito sa confidential fund,” Alonto Adiong said.
Alonto Adiong also pointed to the testimony of the two former LandBank managers, who said the bank received advance notice before Acosta encashed four P125-million Treasury checks on behalf of the OVP.
According to him, that testimony placed the OVP, headed by Duterte, at the center of the transactions.
“So unfair kung si Ms. Acosta at saka si Mr. Fajarda ang hahabulin ng COA. Sila lang naman ‘yung inutusan,” he said.
metrosundaily
