MANILA — Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo expressed sympathy for former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, saying he believes she did not personally benefit from the confidential funds at the centre of the impeachment trial.
“My heart goes to you,” Tulfo told Acosta.
Tulfo said Acosta was the one facing intense questioning and could potentially face legal consequences, while others who may have benefited from the funds were not under the same scrutiny.
Why Acosta is exposed
Acosta was the accountable officer for the confidential funds. She testified that she released four cash tranches of P125 million each — P500 million in total — to Office of the Vice President security head Col. Raymund Dante Lachica between December 2022 and the third quarter of 2023.
She also told the court she did not personally witness Lachica make the payments recorded on the liquidation receipts, and that she relied on his assurances and documentation. Under government accounting rules, it is the accountable officer whose name attaches to those liquidations — which is the exposure Tulfo was describing.
A hostile witness
Acosta appeared as the prosecution’s first hostile witness when her testimony began on Aug. 17 and returned to the stand as questioning continued the following week. Philstar reported that senator-judges pressed her on unusual names appearing on receipts and on a cash trail leading to the Vice President’s security detail.
Tulfo’s remark stood out because senator-judges in an impeachment trial sit as adjudicators rather than advocates, and expressions of personal sympathy from the bench are uncommon while a witness is still being examined.
What our readers said
Breaking News Negros Oriental reviewed 800 comments left on its own coverage of this story. The most common theme was sympathy, prayers or condolence, appearing in 336 of 760 comments carrying text — about 44 per cent.
Other recurring themes were criticism of government or officials (72), politics, campaigning or elections (59), questions about timing or priorities (40), appreciation or thanks (19).
Themes were identified by keyword analysis of comment text. The sample reflects the reaction of this publication’s readers rather than a scientific survey of public opinion, and individual commenters are not identified.
Reporting by Breaking News Negros Oriental. Background drawn from published reports by Rappler, GMA News, Philstar and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The impeachment trial is ongoing and no verdict has been rendered.
