Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio said 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.
Testifying in Duterte’s trial on alleged confidential fund misuse, Ortonio acknowledged that he was one of the top three officers of the OVP and said he has no personal knowledge of how the funds were spent.
Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero asked Ortonio if Duterte knew how the funds were used.
“The way I understand it, sir, as the head of agency, I would understand that she knows the implementation,” Ortonio said.
He also said Lachica, former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group who received the P500 million confidential funds, also knew how these were used.
Escudero went on to ask if that meant that only Duterte and Lachica knew how the funds were spent, since Ortonio said he did not have this knowledge and neither did the Vice President’s chief of staff.
“Yes, your honor,” Ortonio said.
Escudero’s questions followed that of private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia, who noted that Ortonio was one of the top three officials of the OVP.
Divinagracia asked if it was only Duterte who knew how the confidential funds were spent, since he claimed to have no personal knowledge and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez also made the same claim.
Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer objected to Divinagracia’s question.
Also during his examination, Ortonio said Lachica is not an employee of the OVP.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian asked Ortonio why he trusted Lachica’s explanation about the confidential fund use, as cited in the OVP’s reply to the Commission on Audit
Ortonio said it was because Lachica, as the security officer, could provide the best explanation.
He also said Lachica was designated by Duterte to take on the role, “which I believe also gave the trust and confidence to him to implement the activities.”