"Tama na po itong panloloko sa atin": Sen. Erwin Tulfo on witness’ ‘difficulty’ with questions
Tulfo said Acosta answered in Tagalog before Congress and questioned her Bisaya testimony as senators pressed her on the disputed P125 million cash transfer.
- On Monday, August 17, former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta testified that Vice President Sara Duterte ordered her to release P125 million in confidential funds to security officer Colonel Raymund Lachica in late 2022.
- The Senate impeachment court declared Acosta a 'hostile witness' due to her prior affidavit defending Duterte, citing the 2015 joint circular that prohibits security officers from disbursing confidential funds.
- Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo demanded Acosta testify in Tagalog, citing her November 2024 House testimony, while the defense objected to AI-generated cash simulations the prosecution used to depict the transfer.
- Heavy rain and flooding from the southwest monsoon forced the Senate impeachment court to postpone sessions scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, and Wednesday, August 19, marking the third weather-related delay.
- The trial centers on Article I impeachment charges involving alleged fund misappropriation, though opposing counsel Lorna Kapunan and Kristine Ferrer shared a viral hug that briefly humanized the contentious proceedings.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Tulfo questions witness’s shift to Cebuano in Duterte impeachment trial
Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer August 18, 2026 MANILA — Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo on Monday challenged the credibility of a witness testifying in the impeachment trial of Vice President […] The post Tulfo questions witness’s shift to Cebuano in Duterte impeachment trial appeared first on Philippine Canadian Inquirer.
"Tama na po itong panloloko sa atin": Sen. Erwin Tulfo on witness’ ‘difficulty’ with questions
MindaNews / 17 August 2026 – A visibly impatient Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo interrupted the direct examination Monday of Gina Acosta, former special disbursing officer of the Office of the Vice President, to confront her on why she appeared struggling with Filipino and English questions. Holding a transcript of Acosta’s testimony before a House committee hearing in November 2024, Tulfo said she answered in both languages throughout the proceeding…
Damning testimony? Acosta details how P125M confidential funds were encashed, given to Lachica
Former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta told the Senate impeachment court Monday, Aug. 17 how she was able to encash P125 million in confidential funds, which she then released to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon the instructions of respondent Vice President Sara Duterte.Acosta's testimony as a hostile witness--given during day 16 of the Senate impeachment trial--allowed House prosecutors to trace th…
Acosta tells court Sara Duterte ordered P125M turned over to security officer
MANILA, Philippines – The first-ever hostile witness in the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte told the court on Monday, August 17, that the instruction to hand over P125 million in confidential funds to her security officer came from the vice president herself. The turnover of funds facilitated by Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta to Colonel Raymund Lachica, as argued by the prosecution, violates the gover…
OVP's disbursing officer declared 'hostile witness' in Duterte's impeachment trial
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero declared former Office of the Vice President (OVP) Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta a "hostile witness" during the 16th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.Escudero said this would only allow private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan the "right to ask leading questions."Ligutan introduced Acosta as the first hostile witness of the impea…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
