Payments for supplies such as chairs, as well as medicines and food went directly to informants and agents of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), according to a witness.
OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio was called to the witness stand by the prosecution team on Tuesday in connection with Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds (CFs).
Ortonio, who also serves as assistant chief of staff at the OVP, was later declared a hostile witness by the Senate impeachment court.
During her direct examination of the witness, private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia asked for proof that the OVP’s CFs were indeed used for supplies.
‘Ma’am the explanation that was provided to me Ma’am was that binigay po ang pera directly dun sa mga informants and agents and the informants and agents na po ang bumili ng mga medical and food supplies,’ Ortonio said.
(Ma’am, the explanation that was provided to me Ma’am was that the money was given directly to the informants and agents, and the informants and agents themselves purchased the medical and food supplies.)
‘So it’s the acknowledgement receipt which is the proof of the release of the funds to the informants or the agents,’ he added.
Presiding Officer and Sen. Francis Escudero later pursued the prosecutor’s line of questioning.
‘Ang ginamit nyo na pang food and medicine sa confidential fund, binigay nyong deretso sa recipient and presumably, sabi ng recipient, ibibili ko ng pagkain ito, ibibili ko ng gamot to?’ Escudero asked.
(The confidential funds you used for food and medicine were given directly to the recipients, who presumably said, ‘I’ll use this to buy food’ or ‘I’ll use this to buy medicine.)
‘Based on the information, your honor, provided by the security officer. That how it was, ganun yung procedure on how the medical and food aid (was given),’ the witness said.
Ortonio was apparently referring to Duterte’s former security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, who was designated by the vice president to handle the P500 million in confidential funds released to the OVP.
The payments for the said supplies had no official receipts, according to the witness, still citing information from the security officer.
He gave the same answer when Escudero asked about the chairs also bought by the OVP using the CFs.
‘Regarding the chairs, based on the information also provided by the security officer, no receipt as well because the representation was that yun ang ipamimili nila (the funds would be used) for the tables and chairs,’ Ortonio said,.
‘So what you’re saying is ‘binigay din yung pera sa informant,’ quote and quote that is your wording, para sya ang bibili ng chairs at yun yung bayad sa kanya? Quote and quote,’ the presiding officer went on.
(So what you’re saying is that the money was also given to the informant-quote, unquote, those are your words-so that the informant could purchase the chairs, and that was the payment to the informant? Quote, unquote.)
The witness confirmed the statement.
‘So literally, may informant, imbes na bigyan ng kung ano binayaran ng cash para bilhin yung tables, yung chairs, yung food, yung medicine?’ Escudero asked.
(So literally, there was an informant who, instead of being given whatever was paid for in cash, was given the money to purchase the tables, chairs, food, and medicine?)
‘Yes sir. That’s based on the information that was provided sir by the security officer,’ the witness answered.
When using the regular budget of the OVP, however, Ortonio said their office buys medicines directly from partner pharmacies and releases them directly to beneficiaries.
‘In the form of medicine na?’ Escudero asked, to which the witness answered in the affirmative.
Since they use the regular budget of the OVP, Ortonio said the payment for medicines comes with official receipts