Former OVP disbursing officer admits turning over P125M in cash to security officer for confidential ops
The former special disbursing officer of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) testified Monday that she handed over P125 million in cash to Col. Raymund Lachica, then-head of the Vice Presidential Security Group, for confidential operations under Vice President Sara Duterte’s instructions.
During day 16 of the impeachment trial, private prosecutor Amando Ligutan questioned the witness, who admitted that Duterte personally directed the release of funds to Lachica, whom she designated as security officer.
“Ang nag-utos po sa akin na i-release ang pera na 125 M sa security officer na si Colonel Lachica ay si Ma’am Sara Duterte (The one who ordered me to release the P125 million in cash to security officer Colonel Lachica was Ma’am Sara Duterte),” Acosta stated.
Presiding officer Francis Escudero raised concerns over whether a security officer’s role includes spending confidential funds under Joint Circular 2015-01. Acosta acknowledged no such provision exists, though she initially cited the document as justification for the turnover.
Escudero pressed further: “Trabaho po ba ng security officer gastusin ‘yung ni-release niyong confidential fund?” (Is it the security officer’s job to spend the confidential funds you released?)
Acosta responded: “Hindi po. Trabaho po iyan ng disbursing officer.” (No. That’s the disbursing officer’s job.) However, she stated that Lachica, as the “expert,” handled the actual disbursement and provided utilization reports.
When asked if she should have directly paid recipients instead, Acosta said she lacked access to national security information, deferring to Lachica’s role in implementation. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
