MANILA — The two former special disbursing officers (SDOs) who handled the release and liquidation of Vice President Sara Duterte’s P612.5 million in confidential funds are expected to testify as hostile witnesses in her Senate impeachment trial, lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said.

Luistro identified the witnesses as former Office of the Vice President Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta and former Department of Education Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda.

“Apparently, they are considered as hostile witnesses. Hostile because they are attached, associated, and perhaps part ng mga naging proseso nitong alleged incidents in the Articles of Impeachment,” Luistro said during an online press briefing.

She said Acosta and Fajarda are expected to testify after Commission on Audit (COA) Supervising Auditor Celine Mae Del Campo and House Legislative Information Resources Management Department Director Marivic Pareja.

According to Luistro, the testimonies of the two former SDOs would be crucial because they were directly responsible for handling the confidential funds.

“As SDO, sila talaga dapat ang pinakanakakaalam what happened to these public funds. That’s why their sworn testimonies are really significant in this impeachment trial,” she said.

Luistro recalled that during the 2024 House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability inquiry, Acosta testified that after encashing confidential funds, she turned over the cash to then-OVP security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon Duterte’s instruction.

She said Fajarda likewise testified that after encashing confidential funds for the Department of Education, he handed the money to then-DepEd security officer Col. Dennis Nolasco on Duterte’s instruction while she was serving as education secretary.

According to Luistro, both former SDOs testified that they did not personally distribute the funds because the security officers handled the disbursements.

“So sana maging consistent sila sa kung anong nasabi na nila before,” she said.

“I will not understand if after their clear narration of what happened during the hearing of the Committee on Good Government, ay biglang mababago ang kanilang kwento.”

The expected testimonies come after two former Land Bank of the Philippines department managers told the impeachment court that the entire P612.5 million in confidential funds had been withdrawn in cash.

Former LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch department manager Violeta Constantino testified that Acosta encashed four Treasury checks worth P125 million each, totaling P500 million, for the OVP between December 2022 and July 2023.

Meanwhile, former LandBank DepEd branch department manager Nenita Camposano testified that Fajarda encashed three Treasury checks worth P37.5 million each, or a total of P112.5 million, for the Department of Education during the same period.

The prosecution also earlier presented COA State Auditor Roderick Wamil, who identified Acosta and Fajarda as the special disbursing officers responsible for liquidating the confidential funds.

Wamil testified that the liquidation documents for both the OVP and the Department of Education bore Duterte’s approval and cited audit findings that included the absence of supporting documents for reward payments, expenditures not allowed under Joint Circular No. 2015-01, and the lack of documentary proof showing the success of intelligence or confidential operations.

Luistro said the prosecution’s position would remain unchanged even if the testimonies of the two former SDOs differ from their previous statements.

“Kahit magbago pa sila ng testimonya, klaro na ang naging position ng state auditor, the head of the agency remains to be one of the principally accountable parties,” she said.

She said Joint Circular No. 2015-01 identifies the head of the agency as principally accountable for confidential funds.

“Iniutos man o hindi, maliwanag ang probisyon ng Joint Circular na nananatiling principally liable ang head of agency,” she pointed out.