ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider AFP drops probe into Lachica's OVP fund role, cites Ombudsman's jurisdiction

AFP drops probe into Lachica's OVP fund role, cites Ombudsman's jurisdiction

Published Aug 25, 2026 03:33 pm

At A Glance

  • The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has formally terminated its internal inquiry into Col. Raymund Dante Lachica over allegations involving the OVP's confidential funds to avoid duplicating the Ombudsman's investigation.
  • The former vice presidential security chief has been under attached unassigned status at Philippine Army headquarters since Oct. 4, 2025, allowing the AFP to make him available for investigations or proceedings.
  • The military said Lachica may appear before the Senate impeachment court if properly subpoenaed, stressing that it will respect the rule of law and democratic processes.
Philippine Army Colonel Raymund Lachica (File photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines Security and Protection Group)
Philippine Army Colonel Raymund Lachica (File photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines Security and Protection Group)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, Aug. 25, confirmed it has formally ended its internal inquiry into Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, former head of Vice President Sara Duterte’s security detail, over allegations tied to the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman, noting that the military respects the Ombudsman’s authority and Lachica’s right to due process.
“We respect the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman and the right to due process. With this, the inquiry regarding these allegations was recommended for termination and conclusion to avoid duplication of functions,” she said.
Padilla explained that the Ombudsman has already taken cognizance of the complaints involving Lachica, who was previously linked to the alleged turnover of more than P125 million in confidential funds in December 2022.
Lachica, the former group commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Security and Protection Group (formerly the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group or VPSPG), was previously linked to the alleged turnover of more than P125 million in OVP confidential funds in December 2022.
Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta later testified during the impeachment proceedings involving the Vice President that Duterte personally instructed her to release the money to Lachica.
The allegations also surfaced during House investigations into the use of the OVP’s confidential funds.
Despite the termination of the AFP inquiry, Padilla said Lachica remains on “attached unassigned” status at the Philippine Army headquarters since Oct. 4, 2025.
“That is the very reason he is placed under attached unassigned status, so that in the event he is called upon, the Armed Forces of the Philippines shows that we are really supporting and cooperating with the conduct of the investigation,” she added.
Asked if Lachica would be allowed to appear before the Senate impeachment court, Padilla said the AFP will abide by proper summons.
“If there is a proper subpoena, we will abide,” she said.
Meanwhile, AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad noted that the military must first receive the subpoena before taking the necessary action.
“We have to receive first the subpoena. The Armed Forces of the Philippines would always respect the rule of law and all democratic processes being conducted. One such is the cognizance of this particular court to subpoena particular persons,” he said.

Related Tags

Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica OVP Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment trial subpoena
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.