A blind follower of Vice President Sara Duterte.

That's how House prosecutor Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua characterized former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta based on her testimony in Duterte’s ongoing Senate impeachment trial.

During her time at the witness stand last Aug. 17 and 24, Acosta--presented as a hostile witness by the prosecution--admitted turning over P500 million in confidential funds to a non-bonded officer upon Duterte’s instructions. This, despite her being technically the only one accountable for the money in her capacity as the designated SDO.

Acosta, who concluded her testimony Monday, said she released four P125-million tranches to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica from December 2022 to the third quarter of 2023. Lachica was Duterte’s former security chief.

“Maliwanag na ang naging SDO ng ating Bise Presidente ay isang sunud-sunuran, at maliwanag din na marami ang mga nalabag na nakasaad sa joint circular [ng Committee on Audit],” Chua said in a press conference following the impeachment proceedings.

(Clearly, the Vice President’s SDO became a blind follower, and it is also clear that many provisions in the joint circular of the COA were violated.)

During redirect examination, private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan questioned Acosta about her qualifications, including why Duterte chose her as SDO when she was Davao City mayor and later as Vice President.

Acosta, a customs administration graduate of MATS College of Technology, acknowledged that she had no training or background in confidential operations.

Asked why Duterte selected anyway her as SDO, Acosta said she did not know the reason for it.

Ligutan then asked whether she was chosen because she simply followed Duterte’s orders. Acosta again said she did not know.

“Basta ako, ginagawa ko lang, your honor, ang aking pagiging SDO, your honor,” she said.

(As for me, I am only doing, your honor, my duty as SDO, your honor.)

Acosta also acknowledged that she remained the accountable officer for the OVP confidential funds and was aware that an accountable officer could face imprisonment for violations involving public money.

She nevertheless testified that she had no personal knowledge of how Lachica actually spent the P500 million.

Acosta said she relied on documents provided by Lachica and verified questions about the expenditures with Lachica himself before signing certifications used in the liquidation of the funds.

She also said she trusted Lachica because Duterte trusted him and had instructed her to give him the money.

Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said the circumstances were striking given the amount entrusted to Acosta.

“So sa buong Pilipinas, ngayon lang tayo nakasaksi ng isang SDO na walang alam kung paano disburse ang confidential fund. At hindi basta-basta ito confidential fund. Dahil ang pinag-uusapan natin dito ay kalahating bilyong confidential fund sa OVP,” Chua noted.

(So in the entire Philippines, this is the first time we have witnessed an SDO who does not know how to disburse confidential funds. And these are not just ordinary confidential funds. Because what we are talking about here is half a billion in confidential funds for the OVP.)

The P500 million in OVP confidential funds forms part of the impeachment charge accusing Duterte of misuse and irregular liquidation of confidential funds.