House prosecutors in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial emphasized that the Vice President maintained complete control and authority over her office’s confidential funds, from initial request to final liquidation.
Speaking after the Senate impeachment court proceedings, lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro highlighted a crucial commonality in the testimonies of Office of the Vice President (OVP) staffers Gina Acosta and Lemuel Ortonio that every stage of the fund handling required Duterte’s direct directive.
During direct examination, Senate President and Presiding Officer Francis Escudero asked Ortonio whether all matters involving confidential funds, from request to release, were known to, authorized by, and under the supervision of the Vice President as head of agency.
Ortonio replied, “opo.” He added, “Based on my understanding, yes, the Vice President knows about the confidential activities and how it is implemented.”
Luistro noted that the testimonies confirm the Vice President was solely responsible for directing the utilization of the P500 million in OVP confidential funds.
“Lahat ng testigo na prinisenta ng prosecution meron commonality… lahat ng ginawa nila nanggaling sa utos ng head of agency,” Luistro said, stressing that no request, spending, or liquidation report could move forward without Duterte’s explicit approval.