MANILA — The House prosecution presented what it described as a recurring pattern in the handling of confidential funds under Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, linking the alleged irregularities from her time as Davao City mayor to her tenure at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd).

House prosecution team adviser and spokesperson, former Rep. Ace Barbers, and trial spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong presented the case under Article I of the impeachment complaint, which involves the alleged misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds — PHP500 million from the OVP and PHP112.5 million from DepEd.

“Isang modus na kailangang ilantad, isang pananagutang kailangang harapin at isang pangalang ibinibigay namin sa mga alegasyong ito. Ito ay ‘confi scam,’” Barbers said during a press briefing at the House of Representatives.

“At ang diumano’y mastermind ng operasyon nito ay walang iba kundi si Vice President Sara Duterte.”

Barbers said the prosecution traced the movement of confidential funds across different offices and personnel, with the alleged trail eventually leading to Duterte.

“Iba-ibang ahensya pero iisa lang ang modus operandi,” he said.

“Sa pagsunod ng daloy ng pera, lahat ng umano’y maanomalyang daan hinggil sa confidential funds ay patungo sa pintuan ni VP Sara Duterte. Kumbaga, all roads lead to Sara Duterte,” he added.

The presentation sought to connect personnel, documents and the movement of cash involving Davao City, the OVP and DepEd into what prosecutors described as a recurring system allegedly centered on Duterte.

“Isang modus, iisa ang boss. Si Sara Duterte umano ang utak ng operasyon,” Barbers said.

He stressed that the prosecution was not treating previous employment in Davao City as proof of wrongdoing, but was examining similarities in the personnel involved and the alleged manner of handling confidential funds.

“Ang connection sa Davao ay simula ng pagsisiyasat, hindi ito hatol sa bawat taong nanggaling doon. Ang dapat tutukan ay ang ginawa. Sino ang naglabas? Sino ang tumanggap? At sino ang nag-utos?” Barbers said.

“Nagpalit ng opisina. Bakit parang hindi nagpalit ng sistema?”

Personnel, cash trail

Barbers identified several officials who previously worked with Duterte in Davao City and later joined her at the OVP or DepEd.

They included Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, Lemuel Ortonio and Gina Acosta, who served under Duterte in Davao City before moving to the OVP as chief of staff, assistant secretary and assistant chief of staff, and special disbursing officer (SDO), respectively.

The prosecution also cited Sunshine Fajarda, who previously worked for the Davao City government before becoming a DepEd assistant secretary under Duterte.

It also pointed to Acosta’s testimony regarding the handling of confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor. Acosta testified that, while serving as Davao City SDO, she turned over confidential fund cash to security officers.

Barbers said prosecutors were comparing that arrangement with evidence presented during the impeachment trial showing that OVP and DepEd confidential fund cash was similarly turned over by SDOs to security personnel.

“Kung may modus na nauulit, kailangan malaman kung sino ang nagdala at nagdirekta nito,” he said.

Alonto Adiong outlined what the prosecution described as a five-step process in the handling of confidential funds: request, cash-out, turnover, disbursement and liquidation.

The first stage involved requests for confidential funds after Duterte assumed the vice presidency and the DepEd post.

The second was cash-out. Then-OVP SDO Acosta encashed four PHP125-million checks, while then-DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda encashed three PHP37.5-million checks.

The third stage involved the turnover of the cash to security officers who, according to the prosecution, were not the accountable SDOs authorized to disburse the funds.

Acosta testified that she turned over the OVP cash to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon Duterte’s instruction. The prosecution also linked the DepEd cash handled by Fajarda to Col. Dennis Nolasco.

The fourth stage involved disbursement, during which prosecutors raised questions about acknowledgment receipts (ARs) and the identities of purported recipients.

The fifth stage covered liquidation and verification, including examination of ARs, certifications and other supporting documents.

Barbers said the people who withdrew or physically handled the cash were only part of what the prosecution described as a broader chain.

“Sa isang scam, pwedeng ibang tao ang mag-withdraw. Ibang tao ang magdala ng bag at ibang tao ang maghanda ng papeles. Pero ang dapat matukoy ay ang scammer na nag-direkta ng operasyon,” he said.

“Sa kasong inilalatag ng prosecution, si Sara Duterte ang tinuturong utak ng operasyon,” Barbers reiterated.

Questioned names, military certifications

The prosecution also presented Philippine Statistics Authority findings concerning names appearing in the OVP and DepEd confidential fund records.

Barbers said 2,669 names from the combined OVP and DepEd lists were examined. Of these, 1,685 had no matching birth, marriage or death records, while other names matched records involving deaths or minors.

The prosecution also revisited military certifications used to support the liquidation of DepEd confidential funds.

Army officers testified that their units did not receive DepEd confidential funds for the Youth Leadership Summits and other activities cited in the certifications.

Former DepEd undersecretary, chief of staff and spokesperson Michael Wesley Poa also testified that he had no personal knowledge of the actual confidential fund operations.

Alonto Adiong said the evidence presented by the prosecution showed a chain beginning with the request and release of funds, followed by their encashment, turnover to individuals allegedly without authority to disburse them, and questioned expenditures and liquidation documents.

“Ang tanong, bakit po ito nangyari? Iisa lang po ang kasagot diyan: dahil inutos ito ni Vice President Sara Duterte,” Alonto Adiong said.

Barbers emphasized that the allegations presented by the prosecution were not findings of guilt, but maintained that the confidential nature of the funds did not remove the obligation to account for public money.

“Confidential ang operation, hindi dapat takasan ang pananagutan,” Barbers said. “Totoong pera ang inilabas, totoong sagot ang dapat marinig at ibalik sa taong-bayan.”

The House prosecution is set to begin presenting evidence on Monday, Sept. 14, for Article II of the impeachment case, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth.