00:00Senator judges interrogate former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta
00:05as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte continues Monday, August 24.
00:10She answers question after question by saying she merely handed over the OVP's confidential funds in 2022
00:16to Chief Security Officer Raymond Lachica, who then implemented the programs the money was supposedly intended for.
00:22You gave 125 million pesos to Colonel Lachica, right?
00:26It's right, Your Honor, because she's the security officer of Vice President Sara Duterte
00:32to implement confidential activities, Your Honor, because she's the one who has access, Your Honor.
00:42Acosta admits she relied on documents and assurances from Lachica
00:45and she herself had no personal knowledge of the transactions.
00:49As the Special Disbursing Officer at the time, Acosta was supposed to be accountable for the money.
00:54The prosecution bears even more unusual names of supposed informants paid with confidential funds,
00:59but Acosta refuses to admit irregularity.
01:02This leaves some of the senator judges exasperated.
01:05How would you consider yourself? Smart, average, or stupid?
01:10Nasa average lang ako mga pagkatao, Your Honor.
01:13Kasi sa isang normal na tao, kapag siya'y binigan, bilang isang SDO tulad sa inyo,
01:19ng listahang pangalan ng mga informants na bilat, pagong, at pusa, papalag ka.
01:27Ano ba to? Kernel. Mukhang hindi atatama to. Bastusa na to.
01:32Di po ba? Para sa normal na tao.
01:33Acosta then reiterates that she simply relied on Lachica.
01:37So for me, in this case, you're stupid in the name of blind loyalty.
01:41Meanwhile, the Senate, as the impeachment court, receives a medical certificate
01:45stating that former DepEd Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda
01:49has suffered a stroke and cannot yet testify in the trial.
01:52Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Cheese Escudero
01:54then orders the Senate Medical Bureau to examine Fajarda and validate the findings.
01:58And peace.
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