Gina Acosta, a former special disbursing officer for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), was declared a hostile witness during Monday's impeachment trial.
The testimony centers on the alleged misuse of confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte. The outcome of the trial could determine if the Vice President remains in office or is removed for misconduct.
During Day 16 of the proceedings in the Manila Senate impeachment court, the trial focused on testimony regarding the handling of state funds [5]. Acosta previously testified that P125 million [1] in cash was placed inside four black bags [2]. This specific testimony regarding the bags was delivered on July 29 [3].
Former bank executive Violeta Constantino supported these claims during her own testimony. "I saw four black bags containing cash amounting to P125 million," Constantino said [1].
The OVP has disputed these accounts. A spokesperson for the office said the OVP did not use the P125 million confidential fund during the 11 days [3] under scrutiny [3].
Separate controversies regarding the trial's cost have also surfaced. Lawyer Yvette Contacto of PDP-Laban said the government spends P70 million [4] for every day of the impeachment trial [4]. However, a fact-check by MSN noted that no official record supports the claim of a P70 million daily cost [4].
The impeachment process continues to examine the transparency of the OVP's financial disbursements, and the legitimacy of its confidential fund expenditures.
“"I saw four black bags containing cash amounting to P125 million."”
The declaration of Gina Acosta as a hostile witness suggests a breakdown in the relationship between the witness and the party that called her to testify, which may impact the weight the court gives to her statements. The stark contradiction between witness testimony and OVP denials regarding the P125 million fund highlights the central conflict of the trial: whether confidential funds were handled according to law or diverted for undocumented use.
