Former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta admitted before the Senate Impeachment Court that no government provision authorizes a security officer to disburse confidential funds.
During cross-examination, private prosecutor Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan confronted Acosta with Joint Circular No. 2015-01 after she testified that Col. Raymund Dante Lachica handled confidential fund activities for the OVP. Asked whether the circular contained any provision allowing a security officer to disburse those funds, Acosta replied, “Wala, Your Honor.”
The admission came after Acosta acknowledged that disbursing funds was strictly her responsibility as the OVP’s designated special disbursing officer.
“Basta ang trabaho ko, Your Honor, ako po ang disbursing officer, Your Honor,” she testified.
Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero later asked Acosta directly whether spending confidential funds fell under a security officer’s duties, to which she answered, “hindi po, Your Honor. Trabaho po ‘yan ng disbursing officer, Your Honor.”
However, Acosta drew a distinction between disbursing money and executing confidential operations, pointing out that Lachica possessed field expertise she lacked.
“Ang pagpapatupad po ng various confidential activities in relation po sa confidential fund, Your Honor, ay saklaw po sa trabaho ng security officer, Your Honor,” she said.
According to Acosta, after releasing the money to Lachica, he would execute the operations on the ground and submit a utilization report along with the necessary liquidations.
Asked whether Lachica personally spent the funds for confidential operations and recipients, Acosta confirmed: “Siya po, Your Honor, kasi siya po ang may alam kung paano po i-implement ang mga confidential operations activities, Your Honor.”
“I-liquidate po niya, Your Honor, after po, matapos po ang pagpapatupad ng various confidential activities po sa ground, Your Honor,” she added.
Acosta managed P500 million in confidential funds during her tenure as the OVP’s special disbursing officer in 2022 and 2023.