A ₱125-million cash withdrawal by the Office of the Vice President was placed in three to four gym bags and taken out of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) Shaw Boulevard branch without an armored vehicle, retired branch manager Violeta Constantino testified before the Senate Impeachment Court on Wednesday hearing the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.
Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo questioned Constantino about how former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta transported the large amount of cash after encashing an OVP check.
“Duffle bag, gym bag?” Tulfo asked as he sought to establish the type and number of bags used.
Constantino’s initial response referred to three or four gym bags, prompting Tulfo to demand a precise answer.
“Sa pagkakaalala ko po, ito po ay isang malaking, mahabang bag na parang dini-describe ko nga po as,” she said.
“Gym bag po. Iba po kasi ‘yung duffle bag sa bangko,” Constantino said. “Mga three to four bags nga po.”
“So gym bag, gaano kalaki? Isang dipa?” Tulfo asked again.
“Mahaba po,” Constantino replied.
“Baka nagkakamali kayo? Dapat precise po kayo,” Tulfo said.
During the exchange, Constantino testified that the cash was placed in gym bags. She said the branch provided a trolley to move the bags, and that Acosta was accompanied by several individuals when the money was taken out of the bank.
Tulfo then highlighted the estimated physical weight of the cash. Citing an estimate that ₱1 million in banknotes weighs about one kilogram, he said the ₱125-million withdrawal could have weighed approximately 125 kilograms.
He then asked whether Acosta could have carried that amount out of the bank without substantial assistance.
The Office of the Vice President made four separate ₱125-million cash withdrawals through Acosta between December 2022 and July 2023, for a total of ₱500 million. Constantino had earlier testified that she personally supervised each of the transactions.
Asked whether LandBank provided an armored vehicle to transport the cash, Constantino gave a categorical reply: “Hindi po. Wala po kasi kaming memorandum of agreement regarding sa services, cash services or cash delivery.”
metrosundaily
