VP Duterte personally requested P125-million confidential funds spent in 11 days, OVP official says

Vice President Sara Duterte personally requested P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 without prior administrative assessment from her agency, an official from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) told the impeachment court.

Testifying under oath, OVP Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio confirmed that Duterte personally signed an August 2022 letter to the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) requesting additional funds, which included the P125 million allocation.

Ortonio clarified that the specific figure originated directly from Duterte, rather than from internal proposals or routine budget evaluations by the OVP's administrative units.

“It was the Vice President, Your Honor. The amount came directly from Vice President Sara Duterte,” Ortonio testified.

Under questioning from prosecution counsel Atty. Mae Divinagracia, Ortonio also confirmed that the entire P125 million was disbursed and spent within an 11-day period—from Dec. 21 to Dec. 31, 2022—based on the official liquidation report. He added that he was unaware of former Vice President Leni Robredo ever holding or using confidential funds during her term, which ended in June 2022.

Declared a Hostile Witness

During the trial, the impeachment court declared Ortonio a hostile witness, granting prosecutors permission to ask leading questions. Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero cited Ortonio’s ongoing employment and professional ties to the Vice President as grounds for the ruling.

“It has been established that Ortonio serves at the pleasure of the Vice President, and has been working for her for quite some time and is serving up to now—and that if the Vice President is impeached and therefore removed from office, pati kayo matatanggal [you will be removed as well],” Escudero ruled.

Ortonio is the second OVP official to be designated a hostile witness in the proceedings, following former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta. He shares a long history with Duterte, having previously served as chief of the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center and head of the local Human Resource Management Office during her tenure as Davao City mayor.

Both Ortonio and Acosta were called by the prosecution to support Article I of the Articles of Impeachment. The charge accuses Duterte of high crimes, graft, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse, irregular disbursement, and improper liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds across the OVP and the Department of Education.

-Paraluman News