House Prosecution to Present LandBank Execs on VP's Secret Funds

MANILA, Philippines – House prosecution panel is set to begin presenting next week Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) officials and employees with firsthand knowledge of the processing and withdrawal of the P612.5 million in confidential funds allegedly misused by Vice President Sara Duterte. House prosecutor Terry Ridon, of Bicol Saro party-list, said the prosecution expects to open its presentation on the confidential funds article on Wednesday, July 29, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.‘s State of the Nation Address and the minority’s contra-SONA. READ: Makabayan to Sara Duterte: We don’t care about grades, answer fund issue “Sa araw po na ’yon ay inaasahan po namin na magsisimula na ’yung paglalahad noong article on confidential funds misuse. So meron na pong mga nakahanay na mga testigo sa araw po na ’yon,” Ridon said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City. Ridon said the prosecution’s initial witnesses will be LandBank personnel who directly handled the processing and withdrawal of the confidential funds covered by the first impeachment article against Duterte. “‘Yun pong mga Land Bank officials, employees na meron pong intimate knowledge doon po sa processing at withdrawal nitong mga confidential funds na ito ay hopefully maisalang na po sa darating pong Miyerkules,” he said. Among those subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court are former LandBank Shaw Boulevard Branch manager Violeta Constantino and former LandBank Department of Education (DepEd) branch manager Nenita Camposano. The prosecution expects the two former branch managers to testify on the processing, documentation and release of confidential funds covered by the impeachment complaint. The Senate impeachment court also subpoenaed Marivic Pareja, chief of the House Legislative Archives, Museum and Management Service, to produce official House records related to the impeachment proceedings. The confidential funds article accuses Duterte of misusing confidential funds during her tenure as Vice President and Education secretary. It cites alleged irregularities in the disbursement and liquidation of the funds, including acknowledgment receipts bearing the names of recipients whose identities were later questioned. The prosecution had already concluded its presentation of evidence on the impeachment article involving Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. The shift to the confidential funds article marks the start of the prosecution’s presentation on the issue that gave rise to the impeachment case against the Vice President. /jpv