FACT CHECK: VP Sara impeachment ongoing, not ‘dismissed’ over Landbank testimony

As Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial is ongoing, no verdict of conviction or acquittal has been issued by the Senate impeachment court Claim: The testimony of Violeta Constantino, former manager of Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank), proved that the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s withdrawal of confidential funds was not illegal, clearing Vice President Sara Duterte and getting her impeachment case dismissed. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video uploaded by channel “PINAS NEWS INSIDER” was titled “Big good news! Umamin na Landbank manager kay Cayetano; cleared si VP Sara! Lahat natameme sa hearing!” (Big good news! Landbank manager admitted to Cayetano, VP Sara is cleared! Everyone was left speechless at the hearing!) Text on its thumbnail reads, “Land Bank, kumanta na! Pinatunayang walang ilegal sa OVP (Landbank has spoken! It proved there’s nothing illegal with the OVP).” It also shows a document stamped “DISMISSED” and the caption, “Ayan po ang resibo, Mr. Chair!” (There’s the receipt, Mr. Chair!) As of writing, the video has garnered over 55,000 views and 1,600 likes. The facts: Duterte’s impeachment trial remains underway, and Article I of the impeachment articles — which centers on Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612 million in confidential funds — remains under discussion before the Senate impeachment court. No verdict of conviction or acquittal has been made. The claim stems from day 10 of the trial, when Constantino, who managed the Shaw Boulevard branch of Landbank, was questioned by senator-judges about a series of high-value cash withdrawals made by the OVP. Constantino later talked about how she supervised four cash encashments worth P125 million each between December 2022 and July 2023, describing the transactions as “unusual” and “unprecedented” based on her 32 years of service at the bank. (READ: Why didn’t banks flag large check encashments by Sara Duterte staff?) During the hearing, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said that despite being unusual transactions, it is not necessarily unlawful as long as the proper documents are in place and the money is released to authorized representatives. “Just because it’s unusual, it doesn’t mean it’s illegal,” Cayetano said. Constantino agreed, saying there was nothing illegal about the cash encashments themselves. She testified that the OVP informed the bank one to two days before each withdrawal. This statement, however, is not a “verdict” clearing Duterte in her impeachment case, contrary to what the misleading video implies. Even the video’s narration doesn’t support the claim. It only recaps the hearing’s “unusual vs. illegal” distinction and the bank’s verification process. The false claim that Duterte’s impeachment case was dismissed due to the bank official’s testimony exists only in the video’s title and thumbnail. The impeachment trial: Constantino and another former bank official, Nenita Camposano, were the prosecution’s first witnesses on July 29 as it began presenting its case on Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds — one of the four articles of impeachment filed against the Vice President, alongside grave threats, bribery and corruption, and unexplained wealth. Prosecutors said her testimony corroborated earlier claims by alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, who said that Duterte ordered him to deliver P125 million in cash to different locations in December 2022. The defense, however, maintained that the OVP has explanations for the transactions. It also argued that no Commission on Audit rule prohibits spending P125 million in confidential funds within 11 days — a point that state auditor Roderick Wamil acknowledged during the August 3 hearing. (READ: Sara’s defense: There’s explanation for P125-M OVP funds spent in 11 days) – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. How does this make you feel? Loading