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'Unusual' becomes word of the day as 2 confidential fund witnesses surface in VP Duterte trial
Philippines
National
'Unusual' becomes word of the day as 2 confidential fund witnesses surface in VP Duterte trial
'Unusual' becomes word of the day as 2 confidential fund witnesses surface in VP Duterte trial
Published Jul 29, 2026 03:06 pm
At A Glance
- Two retired Landbank managers testify that the OVP and DepEd's P612.5 million cash withdrawals and encashments were unusual compared to typical agency transactions.
- Violeta Constantino details four P125 million withdrawals for the OVP, while Nenita Camposano cites three P37.5 million encashments for DepEd, both saying such amounts were unprecedented in decades of banking.
- Senators Tulfo and Pangilinan underscore the irregularity, with witnesses affirming this was the first time they encountered cash dealings of that scale.
Violeta Constantino (left), Nenita Camposano (Senate PRIB)
Two former bank branch managers have described as "unusual" the total P612.5-million cash withdrawals and encashments made for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during their on the witness stand in Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial.
Serving as the prosecution panel's witnesses on Wednesday, July 29 for article I covering confidential funds misuse were retired Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) Shaw Boulevard branch department manager Violeta Constantino and former Landbank DepEd branch manager Nenita Camposano.
Constantino testified on the four cash withdrawals of P125 million each (P500 million) for the OVP, while Camposano testified on the encashment of three P37.5-million checks (P112.5 million) for DepEd.
Solon-prosector Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua carried out direct examination on the two witnesses, who held decades of experience in their profession.
The total amont of P612.5 million from these seven transactions represent the confidential funds entrusted to the impeachment trial respondent, Duterte.
OVP transactions
Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo asked Constantino, a 32-year Landbank veteran, whether or not she had encountered another government agency withdrawing an equally large amount of cold cash.
"Normal ba na ganito kalaki ang wini-withdraw ng isang government agency? Is this normal, nakakakita ka na ba ng other government agencies na ganito kalaki ang withdrawal?" Tulfo asked.
(Is it normal for a government agency to withdraw this much? Is this normal, have you seen other government agencies make withdrawals this large?)
“Wala po. Unusual po ito (No. This is very unsual),” Constantino answered.
Constantino earlier testified that she personally oversaw the encashment of the four P125-million checks at the Landbank Shaw Boulevard branch. The transactions occurred between December 2022 and July 2023.
The former bank manager said the branch handled accounts belonging to several government agencies. However, she had not witnessed other agencies making comparable withdrawals because their payments had generally shifted to electronic transactions.
Constantino explained, however, that the OVP provided the branch with advance advice about the planned transaction. The prior notice allowed the branch to request the needed cash from its cash center because a single P125-million withdrawal exceeded the ordinary cash and vault limits of the branch.
DepEd transactions
Meanwhile, the three checks, all payable to DepEd Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda, were encashed during the first three quarters of 2023.
Like what Tulfo did with the first witness, Senator-judge Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan asked Camposano on what she thought about the particular encashments from the Landbank DepEd branch.
“Unusual po ang amount ng pag-withdraw? (Was the withdrawn amount unsual?)” Pangilinan asked.
Camposano, who has worked for 34 years with the bank. answered in the affirmative. "With Landbank DepEd for government agencies, ano siya, unusual po ang amount ng pag-withdraw (the withdrawn amount was unusual)."
She told Pangilinan that the branch’s usual DepEd cash transaction was around P10 million.
Pangilinan asked, “OK, so [the] P37 is almost four times more than the usual?” Camposano answered, "Yes, sir."
"For DepEd, sir? For DepEd parang nag-re range lang ng mga nasa,I’m not sure masyado, sorry pero parang mga P10 M, mga nasa ganoong lamang," she said.
“So in your 34 years, was this the first time you had to deal with P37 million cash three times in a period of three quarters?” Pangilinan asked again.
"No, sir. Parang ngayon lang po 'yung time na may encashment na ganun kalaki," she told the senator-judge.
(It seems this is the first time there has been an encashment that large.)
Vice President Duterte served as education secretary from 2022 to 2024. She was given the Cabinet post by her then-political ally, President Marcos.