OVP aide: Lachica not an OVP employee despite confidential fund role

MANILA, Philippines — Col. Raymund Lachica, who headed Vice President Sara Duterte's security group, was not an employee of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), OVP Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio said Wednesday, August 26.

Ortonio made the statement in response to questioning by Senator-judge Tito Sotto about Lachica, who allegedly implemented confidential activities funded by the OVP's confidential funds.

"He does not have any employment status in the Office of the Vice President," Ortonio said.

Ortonio also testified that he relied on Lachica's representations when drafting the OVP's replies to the Commission on Audit (COA), citing "trust and confidence" because Lachica had been designated by Duterte.

"I believe, sir, na siya 'yung the best person that can provide the information, and then, second, sir, as the security officer, sir, he was designated by our head of agency, which I believe also gave the trust and confidence to him to implement the activity," Ortonio said during the interpellation of Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

(I believe, sir, that he is the best person to provide the information. Secondly, sir, as the security officer, he was designated by our head of agency, who I believe also placed trust and confidence in him to carry out the activity.)

Both Ortonio and former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta testified that Lachica implemented confidential activities funded by the OVP's confidential funds.

This was despite Lachica not being the special disbursing officer accountable for the funds.

Both Ortonio and Acosta also testified that they did not question Lachica about the activities, citing their confidential nature.

COA had flagged millions of pesos in OVP confidential fund expenses categorized as rewards.

During the interpellation, Sen.-judge Raffy Tulfo pressed Ortonio on why hundreds of thousands of pesos were supposedly given to individual informants to buy medicine, asking whether the OVP's informants suffered from serious illnesses.

"Sakit din ba ang marami sa inyong mga informants? Mayroon bang mga malalang sakit sa kanila?" Tulfo asked, citing amounts of P50,000, P170,000 and P200,000 supposedly given to individual informants.

(Are many of your informants also sick? Do any of them have serious illnesses?)

"Para mabigyan ninyo ng napakalaking halaga bawat isang informant pambili ng gamot, dapat magtataka ka. Anong gamot kaya ang bibilhin nito?" he added.

(To give such a huge amount of money to each informant to buy medicine, you would have to wonder. What kind of medicine would they buy with this?)

Ortonio said he had no personal knowledge of the informants' health conditions or whether they actually bought medicine, as there were no official receipts, only acknowledgment receipts.

He also said he did not question Lachica about the matter.

Ortonio testified on the 19th day of Duterte's impeachment trial, where Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the OVP and the Department of Education, is being discussed.