Acosta tells court Sara Duterte ordered P125M turned over to security officer

Former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta is surrounded by mock money presented during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on August 17, 2026. Aaron Favila/Pool via Reuters This isn't the first time Acosta has named Duterte as the person who gave the instruction, but her admission before the impeachment court carries more weight, says a prosecutor The impeachment trial of Sara Duterte featured testimony from Gina Acosta, who claimed that the instruction to release P125 million in confidential funds came from Duterte, raising concerns about the legality of the transaction. Acosta's defense argued that she was not required to personally oversee the disbursement of funds, while the prosecution emphasized the significance of her testimony, which was subject to cross-examination. The trial faced complications due to Acosta's language difficulties, leading to frustrations from senator-judge Erwin Tulfo, while the prosecution is considering whether to call additional witnesses, including Ramil Madriaga. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. MANILA, Philippines – The first-ever hostile witness in the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte told the court on Monday, August 17, that the instruction to hand over P125 million in confidential funds to her security officer came from the vice president herself. The turnover of funds facilitated by Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta to Colonel Raymund Lachica, as argued by the prosecution, violates the government joint circular on the utilization of confidential funds. But Acosta’s defense is that the joint circular does not explicitly require her to go on the ground and release the funds herself because she had no access, security or knowledge of confidential operations. “My job is disbursing officer. The implementation of various confidential activities in relation to confidential funds is covered by the security officer, because those are confidential,” Acosta said in Filipino. This is not the first time Acosta has attributed the fund release instructions to Duterte. She reiterated the same admission during a House good government committee inquiry in November 2024. But the prosecution said her retelling on Monday holds more significant weight. “This is more important because Acosta’s testimony is subject to cross-examination. Whatever the result will be from this should be seen as a presentation of the truth,” prosecutor Terry Ridon said. “That was made a year and a half ago. If she was mistaken, she had plenty of time to think about it and correct her statement. For sure, she was able to talk to the Vice President, who is her boss,” private prosecutor Jay Tolosa added. “But she repeated it, so there’s no more question about her confession.” The 2015 joint circular states that it is the special disbursing officer that should disburse the confidential funds. In support of bank officer’s testimony Acosta confirmed what transpired on the day of December 20, 2022, when the OVP encashed the check amounting to P125 million. Her testimony corroborates the story of former Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) Shaw Boulevard manager Violeta Constantino, who claimed that Acosta visited the bank that day, withdrew the funds, and placed the wads of cash inside four oblong bags. The prosecution used props, using bundles of make-believe bills, and AI-generated images to show the enormity of the funds. Ligutan, who conducted the direct examination of Acosta, confronted her with numerous points and arguments: that the OVP expedited the withdrawal of confidential funds, made on the same day that the disbursement voucher was processed; that the OVP financial plans did not give a breakdown of confidential spending under the “Good Government Program” in the fourth quarter of 2022, despite telling the Commission on Audit that it had identified the programs for secret spending as early as July 2022; and that Lachica supplied inputs in the drafting of the OVP financial plan and other documents, yet OVP documentary submissions to COA did not indicate this role of Lachica But where is Madriaga? Interestingly, the prosecution did not — or has yet to — ask Acosta about her supposed link to Duterte’s self-confessed bagman Ramil Madriaga. Madriaga, once the star witness in the House impeachment proceedings, had claimed that he supposedly received the cash-filled bags from officer Gina Acosta and Duterte’s security officer Raymund Lachica in the afternoon of December 20, 2022 at the compound of the Department of Education (DepEd). Acosta claimed that she went to the OVP, and not the DepEd, after her visit to the bank. So how will Madriaga figure in the prosecution’s case? “It is being discussed in the prosecution panel if the testimony and affidavit issued by Madriaga will be material in this article that is being tried at the impeachment court,” prosecution’s impeachment manager and spokesperson Ace Barbers told Rappler. “So far, the prosecution believes that the witnesses we lined up are enough. Now, in the course of the direct examination of all our witnesses, (if) we feel there is a need for more witnesses… maybe (we’ll call Madriaga), but I cannot preempt whatever decision the panel has made as regards the lineup of witnesses we have both agreed on in the pre-trial conference,” he added. Acosta’s communication difficulties Monday’s trial was complicated by Acosta’s apparent difficulty in speaking Tagalog, as she often mixed Bisaya with her answers. She also asked Ligutan to repeat questions originally asked in English or Filipino. This frustrated senator-judge Erwin Tulfo, who pointed out that Acosta was able to communicate clearly during her House appearance in 2024. “Let’s stop this deception. Compel this witness to talk in Tagalog,” Tulfo said. Barbers said he’s willing to give Acosta the benefit of the doubt. “I won’t say she’s putting up an act,” Barbers said. “Maybe it’s just courtroom jitters.” The prosecution’s direct examination of Acosta continues on Tuesday, August 18. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading