Pagong, Pusa, Lapid Surface In OVP Secret Fund Use

More names – apparently fictitious – appearing on acknowledgment receipts for disbursed confidential funds of Vice President Sara Duterte were bared on Monday, Aug. 24, at the continuation of her impeachment trial.

Among the new aliases of alleged informants mentioned at the hearing were Xuniso P. Belat, Antonio Pagong, Timon Andrew Pusa and Shane Ngitngit.

Also appearing on acknowledgement receipts were the names Clarisse Hontiveros, Diane Maple Lapid and John Lapid.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson reminded former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta that all items charged to the confidential funds should be backed with documentary evidence like receipts and sales invoices, not just acknowledgement receipts bearing fictitious names of supposed informants or beneficiaries.

“To my knowledge, purchase of supplies used even for confidential activities should have official receipts and sales invoices signed by real people – not aliases,” Lacson said.

Earlier, Acosta admitted during cross-examination that P500 million in Duterte’s confidential funds were released to her chief security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.

Asked by Sen. Bam Aquino if she had ever asked Lachica about the use of comical aliases, Acosta said the security officer cited the confidential nature of activities being funded.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo reminded Acosta that Joint Memorandum Circular 2015-01 prohibits the use of confidential funds for the purchase of furniture.

Tulfo said such purchase “bypasses standard public procurement transparency rules without serving direct classified surveillance function.”

Acosta said she did not object to the use of confidential funds for the purchase of medicines and for a tree planting activity because she trusted Lachica’s being an “expert” in implementing confidential activities.

Template

Together with Lacson, Sen. Vicente Sotto III expressed frustration at Acosta’s “template testimony” in justifying her action to release P500-million confidential funds to Lachica. “I don’t want that template anymore,” Sotto said.

House of Representatives prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua said Acosta may have been “coached” before taking the witness stand, judging from her “template” answers.

“When the prosecution asks the questions, she seems to have difficulty understanding English or Filipino, but when the defense lawyers ask the questions, her comprehension is very fast,” Chua said.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, for his part, questioned Acosta’s “blind loyalty” to the Vice President for heeding her request to disburse the money to Lachica even though she was the accountable disbursing officer. – With Neil Jayson Servallos, Daphne Galvez, Mark Ernest Villeza