Senator Erwin Tulfo questions former OVP disbursing officers use of Bisaya in impeachment trial

Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo urged the Senate impeachment court on Monday to require former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta to testify in Filipino rather than Bisaya during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Tulfo raised the concern after observing that Acosta consistently responded in Bisaya throughout the proceedings. To support his point, he cited transcripts from the 2024 House committee hearings demonstrating that Acosta had previously answered questions in Filipino without issue.

“Hindi ko po maintindihan bakit parang dito hirap na hirap siya mag-Tagalog when in fact sa Congress po nu'ng November, Tagalog naman po ang sagot niya,” Tulfo remarked.

“Tama na po itong panloloko sa atin. Please, Mr. President, compel this witness to talk in Tagalog. Kahit ang mga Bisaya nakakaintindi ng Tagalog, nakakasalita ng Tagalog. Ano tayo, sa ibang bansa? Ano tayo, mga Hapon, mga Chinese?”

Tulfo argued that since the records show Acosta is capable of understanding and speaking Filipino, relying on a interpreter to translate her answers from Bisaya was unnecessarily prolonging the trial. He directly appealed to the witness to speak in Filipino to avoid further procedural delays.

Following Tulfo's manifest, Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero directed private prosecutor Amando Ligutan to stick to a single language—preferably English or Filipino—to keep the trial moving efficiently.

“Preferably use Filipino, Atty. Ligutan, as I’m sure you’re well-versed with it as well, para mas maunawaan ni Ms. Gina,” Escudero instructed.

The directive contrasted with a proposal raised earlier by Senator-Judge Juan Miguel Zubiri, who had suggested that Ligutan frame his questions in Bisaya to ensure better comprehension for the witness. Zubiri noted that any translation issues could easily be addressed through defense objections or clarifications.

“It’s very simple. Maybe in that way, we don't have to keep stopping. Atty. Ligutan can ask the question first in Tagalog and then translate it to simple Bisaya… She can answer, and then Atty. Ligutan can offer the answer also in Tagalog,” Zubiri had proposed.

-Paraluman News