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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider The plot thickens in VP Sara trial as ex-aides set to testify on confidential funds

The plot thickens in VP Sara trial as ex-aides set to testify on confidential funds

Published Aug 6, 2026 10:27 am

At A Glance

  • Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro confirm that former OVP disbursing officer Gina Acosta and former DepEd disbursing officer Edward Fajarda will testify next week on the P612.5 million confidential funds.
  • Presiding Officer Francis Escudero orders subpoenas for Acosta, Fajarda, COA auditor Celine May del Campo, and House director Marivic Pareja, with Del Campo set to resume her testimony.
  • Prosecutors stress that under government rules, the accountable officer is the head of agency, meaning Vice President Duterte at the OVP and the education secretary at DepEd.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


The "confidential funds saga" of Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial promises to get even more interesting.
This, after lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro informed the Senate impeachment court that two former aides of the respondent who handled the disbursement of the P612.5-million secret funds were set to take the witness stand next week.
These two are former special disbursing officers Gina Acosta of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Edward Fajarda of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Duterte simultaneously held control over the OVP and DepEd from 2022 to 2024. Under article I of the articles of impeachment, the P612.5 million confidential funds covered the period of December 2022 until the third quarter of 2023.
The particular article claims the "systematic misuse" of the public money, which according to the prosecutors constitutes culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayed public trust.
Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered on Wednesday, Aug. 5 the issuance of subpoenas ad testificandum and, where necessary, subpoenas duces tecum for Acosta and Fajarda.
He also ordered subpoenas for Commission on Audit (COA) Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office Supervising Auditor Celine May del Campo and House Legislative Information Resources Management Department Director Marivic Pareja.
Del Campo, who began testifying during day 13 of the trial Wednesday, is expected to resume her testimony when the trial resumes next week.
The P612.5 million under scrutiny consists of P500 million in confidential funds released to the OVP for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the first three quarters of 2023, and P112.5 million released to the DepEd for the first three quarters of 2023 while Duterte was education secretary.
Earlier in the trial, former Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) department manager Violeta Constantino testified that Acosta encashed four treasury checks worth P125 million each--totaling P500 million--for the OVP in December 2022, February 2023, April 2023 and July 2023.
Former LandBank department manager Nenita Camposano, meanwhile, testified that Fajarda encashed three treasury checks worth P37.5 million each, totaling P112.5 million, for the DepEd in February, April and July 2023.
COA state auditor Roderick Wamil later identified Acosta and Fajarda as the special disbursing officers who received the confidential funds and submitted the liquidation documents for their respective offices.
Who is accountable for the confidential funds?
Their testimony follows questions raised during Wednesday’s hearing on whether the special disbursing officers, rather than Duterte, should be held accountable for the confidential funds.
House prosecutor Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said the COA witness had already clarified that, under government accounting rules, the accountable officer is the head of agency.
“Sinagot naman ng ating testigo kanina na ‘yung head of agency, which in this case, sa OVP, ang Vice President, at doon sa DepEd, ang secretary of education,” Chua said.
(The witness answered earlier that the head of agency, which in this case is the Vice President at the OVP, and at the DepEd, the secretary of education.)

Related Tags

confidential funds Sara Duterte IMPEACHMENT Gerville \"Jinky Bitrics\" Luistro DepEd OVP
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