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OVP Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio confirmed that the office fully disbursed its P125 million confidential funds within 11 days, from Dec. 21 to 31, 2022, based on the liquidation report submitted by the OVP.

A brief commotion arose between prosecution counsel Atty. Mae Divinagracia and defense counsel Atty. Kristine Ferrer over whether witness Ortonio could be asked to interpret the liquidation report, with Divinagracia insisting the 10-day period was a matter of simple arithmetic.

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Transcript
00:00And you will confirm that based on this document, ang buong 125 million na confidential funds ay lubusang naubos pagsapit
00:11ng December 31, 2022. Tama ba?
00:21Yes, based on the document, based on the liquidation report.
00:25And since in-encash nyo ang mga cheque, or ang cheque pertaining to this fund, confidential fund, noon lamang December
00:3720, 2022, tama bang sabihin na yung pondo ay na-disberse sa loob lamang ng 11 days? Tama ba?
00:49That, ma'am, I cannot...
00:52Based on this document.
00:53If you base on the document, there's a liquidation of the cash advance for the period of December 21 to
01:0231.
01:03And that would be 10 days?
01:07If you base it here, ma'am, that's December 21 to 31.
01:10Yes.
01:11Okay.
01:12So a good 10 days.
01:15Your Honor, please.
01:16The document speaks for itself.
01:18Your Honor, I believe counsel is referring to the original documents rule.
01:23Unfortunately for her, Your Honor, that's an improper invocation of the original documents rule.
01:28The original documents rule does not bar questions relating to the document.
01:34What it simply prohibits is the substitution of the testimony of the witness for the document without producing the original
01:44of said document.
01:45Your Honor, the original of this document was presented to this Honorable Court as early as the pre-trial conference
01:53of this case, Your Honor.
01:55We will allow it subject to the parameters that they cannot change what's contained in the document, but he may
02:00be questioned with respect to his understanding and appreciation of the document.
02:05Yes, Attorney Rishim?
02:05Your Honor, quick reply.
02:06Because the witness was asked to interpret the document, Your Honor, and the contents of the document.
02:11I wasn't asking, Your Honor.
02:12It's by simple arithmetic.
02:14No, Your Honor.
02:15She was referring to the contents of the document.
02:17With all due respect, Your Honor, if I can just make a brief reply to the manifestation, Your Honor.
02:22Yes, counsel, briefly.
02:24Yes, I wasn't asking, Your Honor, this witness to interpret the document.
02:28By simple arithmetic, Your Honor, this witness can easily come up with a number of days within which,
02:33and just by looking at the document, this witness can easily come up
02:40and say the number of days within which the 125 million was spent and dispersed, Your Honor.
02:50As long as the document is not going to be changed, I will allow it.
02:54Witness, if you know, if you know, again, you are well-educated to be able to answer the simple question.
03:02If you know, again, Mr. Ortonio, you will confirm that the funds referred to in that liquidation document
03:11was fully disbursed within a good 10 days.
03:16Because you said the disbursement covers the period December 21 to December 31, 2022.
03:23Tama ba?
03:25Based on computation, ma'am, it's actually 11 days.
03:29Sorry, 11 days.
03:29Based on the computation and based on the document, ma'am, it will reflect 11 days.
03:35Sorry.
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