THE House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte may reduce the number of witnesses it plans to present regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution will reassess its remaining witnesses after hearing the testimonies of former Department of Education disbursing officer Edward Fajarda and Office of the Vice President Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio.
‘We have seen that Gina Acosta’s testimony was significant, so we expect Edward Fajarda’s testimony to be equally substantial,’ Chua said.
Fajarda previously testified during the House investigation regarding the handling of confidential funds at the Department of Education while Duterte was Education secretary. Other potential witnesses from the Armed Forces are also included in the prosecution’s pre-trial list.
Chua said some witnesses may no longer be needed if earlier testimonies are already sufficient to establish the prosecution’s claims. The panel previously used the same strategy in presenting evidence regarding allegations that Duterte threatened President Marcos, removing witnesses whose testimonies would have repeated information already presented.
‘If we believe the evidence is already strong and that we have proven everything that needs to be proven, then our next steps will depend on our legal strategy in the coming days,’ he said.
Private prosecutor and House prosecution spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. confirmed that Fajarda and Ortonio remain among the upcoming witnesses.
Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesperson for the House prosecution panel, questioned the process used by the Office of the Vice President in handling its P125-million confidential fund in December 2022.
Acosta testified that, upon Duterte’s instructions, she turned over the entire P125 million to Col. Raymund Lachica, then head of the vice president’s security team.
According to Acosta, Lachica also provided information regarding the confidential programs and activities to be funded. She said Duterte approved the release of the money to Lachica because he supposedly knew how to carry out confidential operations.
Acosta acknowledged, however, that handling confidential funds was not normally part of a security officer’s duties.
Adiong argued that government financial controls are designed to separate the people who identify activities, handle funds, and prepare or verify liquidation documents. He said allowing one person to participate in several stages of the process raises serious concerns about accountability and transparency.
The prosecution also raised concerns about the documents used to liquidate the confidential funds, describing the process as potentially involving unverifiable or ‘ghost’ transactions.
State auditors who testified during the impeachment proceedings identified deficiencies in documents submitted to support some confidential fund transactions involving the OVP and the Department of Education.
According to Acosta’s testimony, Lachica received the confidential funds and later submitted utilization documents that were used in the liquidation process.
Adiong argued that this arrangement deserves closer examination because the same individual allegedly helped determine the activities to be funded, received the money, and later supplied supporting documents.
He also maintained that Duterte authorized the transfer of the funds, citing Acosta’s testimony that she acted under the vice president’s instructions.
In addition, Chua compared the questioned transactions to ‘ghost projects,’ saying the prosecution has concerns about whether some reported beneficiaries, goods, medicines, and activities can actually be verified.
Chua added that acknowledgment receipts were among the main documents used to support the transactions, while questions remain regarding the identities of some recipients and the actual purchases involved.
‘Everything appears to be ‘ghost’ transactions, with nothing shown to be genuine or valid. And all the evidence they used consisted only of acknowledgement receipts,’ Chua said.