During a heated impeachment inquiry, former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta admitted that the Office of the Vice President followed the same method used by Davao City in managing confidential funds, where money was handed to an unbonded security officer and receipts were collected only after liquidation.
Responding to a question from Senator Francis Escudero, Acosta confirmed that this practice continued while she served as special disbursing officer for both offices, disbursing funds to security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.
Prosecution lawyer Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan pointed out that this testimony demonstrates a potentially recurring modus operandi in spending the total amount of 500 million pesos in funds.
Acosta added that although she kept the cash disbursement record for funds awarded in December 2022, she failed to bring it to court because she did not have it with her.
Nevertheless, the prosecution explained that the testimony is crucial to proving allegations of abuse and misuse of public funds against Vice President Sara Duterte.
