CAGAYAN de Oro City- Questions over who knew how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent ₱625 million in confidential funds took center stage at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, after an OVP aide testified that he had no personal knowledge of the actual disbursements.
OVP Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio told the impeachment court that he did not personally know how the confidential funds were spent.
“I have no personal knowledge,” Ortonio said.
His testimony prompted Presiding Officer Francis Escudero to point out that even the OVP assistant chief of staff and former Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez did not have direct knowledge of the fund disbursements.
Asked whether Duterte knew how the funds were used, Ortonio said he understood that she would have known how activities funded by the confidential funds were implemented because she was the head of the agency.
“The way I understand it, as the head of the agency, I would understand that she knows the implementation,” he said.
Ortonio also identified OVP security chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica as someone who knew how the funds were used because of his role overseeing the agency’s security operations.
Escudero noted, however, that Lachica was not part of the OVP’s organic personnel. Ortonio confirmed this during the proceedings.
Why the ₱625M is under scrutiny
The testimony is part of the impeachment court’s examination of the OVP’s use of confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure.
One issue under scrutiny is the OVP’s reported use of a ₱125-million tranche received in December 2022. Based on liquidation documents presented in the proceedings, the amount was reported as fully spent between Dec. 21 and 31—just 11 days.
The documents listed expenditures for medical and food assistance, supplies, safe houses and incidental expenses, information purchases, rewards, and incentives and travel related to confidential operations.
Some acknowledgment receipts also carried names that later became controversial, including “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Chippy McDonald” and “Timon Andrew Pusa.”
Former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta previously testified that some names appearing on the receipts were aliases rather than the recipients’ real names.
The Commission on Audit also issued a Notice of Disallowance covering ₱73.287 million in OVP confidential fund expenditures, citing questionable spending and insufficient supporting documents.
A Notice of Disallowance, however, is an audit finding and does not by itself establish criminal liability or prove that the funds were illegally spent.
What the testimony means for accountability
For the public, the central issue raised by the testimony is not simply who knew about the funds but who was responsible for ensuring that public money was properly documented, accounted for and used for legitimate confidential activities.
Barog Mindanao, a multi-sectoral citizen watchdog, urged current and former OVP and Department of Education officials and employees with knowledge of the transactions to come forward and help establish what happened to the funds.
The group criticized the handling of the confidential funds and said the impeachment proceedings had highlighted concerns over transparency and accountability.
Duterte and her camp have disputed allegations surrounding the confidential funds and have defended the legality of their use.
The impeachment proceedings are continuing, and the testimony and documents presented before the court remain subject to scrutiny and evaluation.
As the trial moves forward, the key questions for taxpayers remain: How were the ₱625 million spent? What documents support the transactions? And who had direct responsibility for accounting for the funds?
