The House prosecution panel will begin presenting next week former officials and employees of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) with direct knowledge of the processing and withdrawal of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds allegedly misused by Vice President Sara Duterte.
Prosecutor Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro party-list said the presentation of witnesses on the confidential funds article is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address and the minority bloc’s contra-SONA.
Ridon told the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that the initial witnesses will be LandBank personnel who handled the transactions tied to the first impeachment article against Duterte. “Meron na pong mga nakahanay na mga testigo sa araw po na ’yon,” Ridon said.
Among those subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court are former LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch manager Violeta Constantino and former LandBank Department of Education branch manager Nenita Camposano. Both are expected to testify on the documentation and release of the confidential funds.
The court also ordered Marivic Pareja, chief of the House Legislative Archives, Museum and Management Service, to produce official records related to the impeachment proceedings.
The confidential funds article accuses Duterte of irregular disbursement and liquidation of funds during her tenure as Vice President and Education secretary, citing acknowledgment receipts bearing the names of recipients whose identities were later questioned. # (ZIA LUNA)
