26/08/2026
EXACTLY, IN THE CORPORATE WORLD WE CALL THIS COPY PASTE LIQUIDATION REPORTS...
VILE, VERY VERY VILE!
PROSECUTION: ₱500-M OVP CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS HAD NO LEGITIMATE PURPOSE
The House prosecution team presented Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio as a hostile witness on Day 18 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, seeking to establish that the ₱500 million in confidential funds had no legitimate confidential purpose and remained unaccounted for.
Before Ortonio's testimony, Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero took up the parties' stipulations to streamline the proceedings. The defense stipulated that Ortonio holds a salary grade 29 position as OVP assistant secretary and assistant chief of staff, with an appointment coterminous with that of the Vice President.
Prosecution counsel Atty. Mae Divinagracia said Ortonio's testimony would support 11 points concerning the alleged irregularities in the use and liquidation of the confidential funds.
She argued that the OVP's request for ₱250 million in confidential funds preceded the preparation of its supporting plan, suggesting that the amount was determined before the plan was produced.
"Nauna ang ₱250 million, sumunod ang plano matapos itong hiningi sa DBM. Hindi plano ang nagtakda ng halaga. Ang halaga ang nauna, saka hinabol ang plano," Divinagracia said.
She also said key documents showed Duterte's authority and approval from the request through liquidation.
The prosecution further questioned the OVP's liquidation and accomplishment reports, which it said followed a repeated template and consistently reported ₱125 million in expenditures per tranche.
"Apat na ulat, iisang template, mga halagang hindi nagbabago at laging eksaktong ₱125 million. Not a peso more, not a centavo less. Walang natira, walang sinauli," she said.
Divinagracia cited the Commission on Audit's questions regarding medical and food aid items amounting to ₱40 million, ₱42 million, and ₱40 million in the first three accomplishment reports. She said one such item disappeared from the final report five days after the audit issue was raised, while the reported total remained at exactly ₱125 million.
She also said the reports did not identify any specific area, operation, or date despite reporting activities across hundreds of areas and ₱500 million in total expenditures.
"Daang-daang area ang iniulat, ₱500 million ang ginastos. Ngunit wala ni isang lugar, ni isang operasyon, ni isang petsa ang pinangalanan," Divinagracia said.
The prosecution also alleged that the liquidation was late, irregular, and backdated, citing receipts submitted months late and more than 100 receipts dated a year after the supposed payments.
Divinagracia questioned certifications attached to the liquidation reports, saying they lacked specific details on the expenditures and were signed by the person who received the funds.
She further argued that the ₱500 million was used for security purposes that were already covered by existing government resources, noting that 473 soldiers and police officers were assigned to Duterte's security and that AFP and PNP intelligence funds already covered threats cited in the reports.
"Bayad na ang proteksyon, bayad na ang pagbabantay, bago pa ang kahit isang piso ng confidential funds," she said.
The prosecution also pointed to what it described as six different justifications for the funds across various documents, ranging from supporting good governance programs and socioeconomic initiatives to surveillance, information gathering, and protective intelligence.
"Anim na bersyon, iisang pondo," Divinagracia said.
She also questioned why officials who supposedly had personal knowledge of the confidential activities did not provide answers, while Ortonio signed responses to COA despite allegedly stating that he had no personal knowledge.
"The officials who knew answered nothing. The man who says he knew nothing answered everything," she said.
Divinagracia concluded that the explanations for the confidential funds were a "sham" and argued that the failure to account for the ₱500 million could give rise to a presumption of misappropriation.
"Pabago-bago ang paliwanag, walang detalye, walang dokumentong sumusuporta. Pagtatakip, hindi pagpapaliwanag," she said. "At hanggang ngayon, hindi na-account ang ₱500 million ng bayan."
