Former Senate President Franklin Drilon said it is significant that the prosecution in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial was able to establish that she directed all actions related to her office’s confidential funds, including its receipt, disbursement, and approval of the liquidation reports.
Speaking on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “On Point,” Drilon said he considers this “compelling” and “damaging” evidence.
But Drilon also said he wants to wait for what the defense would present to counter the testimony.
“To me this is a very compelling evidence and therefore, I would wait until the defense would come up with an explanation as to whether or not this is true. Because to me, this is damaging evidence that the prosecution has shown that it was the Vice President who directed everything,” Drilon said.
Duterte is accused of misusing confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and of the Department of Education, which she used to head.
Lemuel Ortonio, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President, told the Impeachment Court that it is only Vice President Sara Duterte and security officer Col. Raymund Lachica who know how her office’s P500 million confidential funds were used.
Ortonio said he relied on reports from Lachica when he responded to the Commission on Audit’s notices about the fund use, since he had no personal knowledge about how they were spent.
Special disbursing officer Gina Acosta also said she transferred the confidential funds to Lachica on Duterte’s orders.
Lachica, former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, is not an employee of the OVP and not a bonded officer.