Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta confirmed before the Senate impeachment court on Monday that she withdrew P125 million in cash, loaded it into four travel bags, and turned it over to security chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon direct orders from Vice President Sara Duterte.
The cash transfer occurred despite regulations under COA-DBM-DILG-GCG-DND Joint Circular No. 2015-01 (Item 6.1.2), which mandates that cash advances for confidential funds must be drawn, disbursed, and accounted for exclusively by the designated disbursing officer without being reassigned.
Under questioning by private prosecutor Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan, Acosta explicitly identified the Vice President as the source of the directive.
“Nag-utos po sa akin na i-release ang pera na P125 million sa security officer na si Colonel Lachica ay si Ma’am Sara Duterte,” Acosta testified.
She added that instructions came straight from the top.
“May instruction po sa taas, Your Honor, ng aking head of agency na kung ma-encash ko po ang cheque, i-release ko po kay Sir Lachica,” Acosta said.
Acosta detailed withdrawing the full sum from the Land Bank of the Philippines on Dec. 20, 2022, securing the funds in P1 million bundles inside four oblong-shaped travel bags.
“Nilagay ko po sa aking apat na bag,” she recalled.
The entire P125 million was reportedly disbursed within an 11-day window spanning Dec. 21 to Dec. 31, 2022, during the holiday period. Had any portion of the funds remained unspent by the end of the year, government regulations would have required its return to the National Treasury rather than retention as OVP savings.
Reaffirming statements she previously delivered to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Acosta explained that the Vice President designated Lachica to handle the funds due to his operational role as head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.
“May utos po ni Ma’am Inday Sara na sa kanya po i-release kasi siya po ang nakakaalam kung paano po i-implement ang mga programs and activities in line po sa confidential activities,” she said.
Acosta acknowledged that she relied on the documentation provided by Lachica to liquidate the funds without reviewing or challenging the submissions.
“Nagbe-base lang po ako sa ibinigay ni Sir Lachica ng mga ibinalik niya sa akin,” she said.
While the OVP reported the expenditures as payments for rewards, information purchases, and confidential operations, state auditors raised major red flags regarding the supporting liquidation documents. Among the irregularities noted by the Commission on Audit (COA) were acknowledgment receipts bearing names described by lawmakers as questionable, including “Mary Grace Piattos,” who was listed as receiving P70,000, alongside names such as “Chippy McDonald,” “Any Lim” and “Pikit.”
Audit findings also highlighted that confidential funds were cited for surveillance during routine events, including Christmas parties, tree-planting drives, TUPAD payouts and wheelchair distribution activities. State auditors noted these expenses lacked operational reports, presenting only blanket certifications that no untoward incidents occurred.
Furthermore, COA flagged reward payouts that lacked proof of successful operations, as well as purchases of office equipment, including desktop computers, printers, tables, and chairs, that lacked the official receipts and sales invoices required by government procurement rules.