Senior OVP official says he and chief of staff had no personal knowledge of spending, liquidation
Photo: Senate of the Philippines
MANILA (August 28) — The Office of the Vice President’s own senior officials did not know how its confidential funds were spent, disbursed or liquidated, according to a key aide who testified before the Senate impeachment court Wednesday.
Lemuel Ortonio, assistant chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), told senators that only Vice President Sara Duterte and her former security chief, Col. Raymund Lachica, would have known how the funds were implemented.
The testimony put the handling of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds under renewed scrutiny, particularly because Lachica, according to Ortonio, was not even an OVP employee.
Ortonio identified himself, OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez and Duterte as the office’s three top officials. But when asked whether he and Lopez personally knew how the confidential funds were spent and liquidated, he said they did not.
Presiding officer and Senator-judge Francis “Chiz” Escudero then pressed him on who did.
If the assistant chief of staff and chief of staff had no knowledge of the transactions, Escudero asked, did Lachica—who was outside the OVP—know how the funds were spent and liquidated?
“Yes, sir,” Ortonio replied, saying he assumed Lachica knew in his capacity as security officer.
The testimony becomes significant in light of earlier evidence showing that P500 million in confidential funds was released in four P125-million tranches to Lachica.
Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta had previously testified that she released the money to Lachica on Duterte’s instructions.
Yet Ortonio told Senator-judge Vicente “Tito” Sotto III that Lachica was not employed by the OVP.
He identified Lachica as commander of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) and said the officer was designated to the post through an order from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“So he does not have any employment status in the Office of the Vice President,” Sotto clarified.
“Yes, po, Your Honor,” Ortonio answered.
Where did the money go?
The OVP’s liquidation documents listed millions of pesos for various activities and expenses, including P40 million for medical and food assistance, P35 million for supplies, P16 million for safe houses and incidental expenses, P14 million for information, P10 million for rewards, and P10 million for incentives and travel related to confidential operations.
But the testimony raised a basic question about accountability: who inside the OVP actually knew how these funds were being implemented?
Ortonio said Duterte, as head of the agency, would have known how the funds were implemented.
He also acknowledged that Duterte gave the final sign-off on documents submitted to the Commission on Audit and, as agency head, bore ultimate responsibility.
The issue is particularly relevant to Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which governs the use of confidential and intelligence funds.
The rules state that cash advances must be used for specific legal purposes related to confidential or intelligence operations and, “under no circumstance,” may be transferred from one accountable officer to another.
Trust and confidence
Senator Risa Hontiveros separately questioned Ortonio about his relationship with Duterte and whether he belonged to the Vice President’s so-called “circle of trust.”
Ortonio said he had known Duterte for more than a decade and began working with her in 2008, when she was vice mayor of Davao City.
He stopped short of describing himself as part of her inner circle but said he had her trust and confidence in carrying out duties assigned to him.
He likewise suggested that Duterte may have trusted Acosta and Lachica because she entrusted responsibilities to them.
For Lachica, Ortonio pointed to his position as commander of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group as an indication that he may have enjoyed Duterte’s trust and confidence.
The testimony left the Senate impeachment court with a striking picture of the confidential-fund system: the agency’s senior administrative officials said they did not know how the money was actually spent, while an AFP officer outside the OVP was identified as a recipient of hundreds of millions of pesos.
As the impeachment proceedings continue, that question—who controlled the money, who knew how it was used, and who was ultimately accountable for it—remains at the heart of the controversy.
