OFFICE of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio and three active and retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers are next in the House prosecution panel’s witness lineup as it continues tracing confidential funds allegedly misused under Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.
Ortonio is set to take the stand Tuesday as a hostile witness, while Col. Manaros Boransing II, Col. Magtangol Panopio and Maj. Gen. Adonis R. Bajao have been subpoenaed to testify beginning Wednesday on confidential funds released to the Department of Education (DepEd).
The three AFP officers are expected to testify that they received none of the P112.5 million in DepEd confidential funds in 2023, when Duterte was education secretary. Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the officers had issued certifications denying receipt of any of the money, which prosecutors intend to use in establishing a pattern in how the funds were handled.
“Ang ini-establish natin is ‘yung pattern, ‘yung masasabi natin na pwedeng impeachable offense,” Chua said at a press conference following Monday’s trial. “At maliwanag naman, ‘yung tatlo na ipipresenta namin, sila ‘yung mga nag-issue ng certification kung saan sinasabi nila na ni singkong butas wala silang natanggap na pondo galing sa DepEd,” he added.
The P112.5 million was released to DepEd in three P37.5-million tranches while Duterte concurrently served as education secretary. Ortonio, meanwhile, is expected to provide another link in the prosecution’s evidence on the P500 million in OVP confidential funds released from December 2022 through the third quarter of 2023.
His name previously surfaced during testimony by LandBank officials tracing the withdrawal of the OVP funds, including the first P125 million in December 2022. Former OVP special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta later testified that the money was turned over to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon Duterte’s instruction. She said the same process was followed for three more P125-million releases in 2023.
House prosecution legal spokesperson and counsel Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said documents already identified before the impeachment court also show Ortonio’s involvement in the OVP’s responses to Commission on Audit (COA) audit observation memoranda, or AOMs. “He was involved in the submissions of the OVP when responding to the AOMs,” Tolosa said.
“So without going into the details of what we expect him to testify on. But doon sa dokumentong nakita na natin, ’yun ’yung lumalabas na participation niya,” he added. The prosecution rearranged its witness lineup after former DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda, who was supposed to follow Acosta, became temporarily unavailable after reportedly suffering a stroke. Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro told the impeachment court that Ortonio would testify Tuesday and sought subpoenas for the three AFP officers to fill the succeeding trial dates.
“This is prompted by the inability of the next hostile witness, in the person of Edward Fajarda, to make himself available tomorrow and on Wednesday,” Luistro said. Duterte’s lead counsel Shiela Sison raised concerns over the short notice, citing the impeachment court’s five-day disclosure rule and the defense’s need to prepare for cross-examination.
Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero allowed the subpoenas but assured the defense sufficient preparation time. The military officers were ordered to appear beginning Wednesday, with additional dates on Sept. 1 and 2 if necessary. Fajarda remains in the lineup, with Luistro reserving Sept. 7 for his possible testimony, subject to his condition and the Senate Medical and Dental Bureau’s assessment. The upcoming testimony will advance the prosecution’s evidence on both the P500 million in OVP confidential funds and the P112.5 million released to DepEd under Duterte.
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