Abbey M.

More unusual names surfaced in acknowledgment receipts submitted to account for the Office of the Vice President’s confidential fund expenditures during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Among the names presented by the prosecution were Antonio Pagong, Timon Andrew Pusa, Xuniso P. Belat, Don Piang, May Pamana and Shane Ngitngit.

The receipts showed that Pagong, Pusa and Belat purportedly received P100,000 each. Piang was listed as receiving P250,000, while Pamana and Ngitngit were associated with P150,000 each. The stated purposes included the purchase of information, transportation and supplies for confidential operations.

Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, however, admitted that she did not personally witness Col. Raymund Dante Lachica hand the money to the individuals named in the receipts.

Asked by private prosecutor Amando Ligutan whether she saw Lachica give P100,000 to Antonio Pagong, Acosta said she was not present during the transactions.

“Hindi ko siya nakita, Your Honor, kasi wala po ako doon sa ground. Siya po ang nag-implement,” Acosta told the impeachment court.

Acosta said her role was to release the confidential funds to Lachica, who was tasked with carrying out confidential operations. She said she relied on the documents submitted by Lachica in accounting for the funds because she was not personally involved in the operations on the ground.

The use of the surname “Lapid” in some acknowledgment receipts also drew questions from senator-judge Lito Lapid.

Lapid raised concern over whether the names appearing in the documents belonged to actual individuals or were merely aliases, noting that his own surname appeared among the recipients.

Acosta responded that the documents came from Lachica, who had been designated as the OVP security officer and tasked with implementing confidential operations.

Other names bearing the surnames Lapid and Hontiveros also appeared in acknowledgment receipts presented during the hearing.

The receipts are being scrutinized as the impeachment court examines how the OVP accounted for its confidential funds and whether the supporting documents sufficiently established how the money was spent.

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Former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer Gina Acosta said Col. Raymund Dante Lachica was the official who knew how the OVP's confidential funds were used, as she returned to the witness stand in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.

During the 17th day of the trial on Monday, August 24, Acosta repeatedly identified Lachica, the former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, as the person tasked with implementing the OVP's confidential activities on the ground.

Acosta said she released P125 million in confidential funds to Lachica in December 2022 because he had been designated to handle the OVP's confidential operations.

“Siya po ang may alam, siya po ang eksperto… sa pagpatupad ng mga projects or programs regarding sa operation ng confidential activities,” Acosta told the impeachment court.

Her testimony showed that the arrangement was repeated in 2023. Acosta said four P125-million tranches, or a total of P500 million, were eventually released to Lachica from December 2022 through the third quarter of 2023.

Acosta also acknowledged that Lachica was not covered by a fidelity bond when the funds were turned over to him.

A fidelity bond is intended to protect government funds handled by accountable public officers against losses arising from their official duties.

Private prosecutor Amando Ligutan questioned Acosta over the transfer of the funds to Lachica despite his being unbonded.

Acosta maintained, however, that she remained the accountable officer because she was the bonded special disbursing officer. She said this was also why she prepared the liquidation documents for the confidential funds.

“I am still the accountable person, Your Honor. That's why po, Your Honor, ako po ang gumawa ng liquidation,” Acosta said.

Acosta also testified that she did not personally witness how Lachica distributed or spent the money. She said she relied on fund utilization reports he provided in preparing the liquidation documents submitted to the Commission on Audit.

The prosecution, meanwhile, questioned the legality of turning confidential funds over to another official and argued that existing rules prohibit the transfer of such funds from one accountable officer to another.

The handling of the OVP's confidential funds is among the issues being scrutinized in the impeachment proceedings against Duterte

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Five-year-old Jodiel Chloe Banawa of Alicia, Isabela emerged as one of the Philippines’ top performers at the 24th ASEAN+ Age-Group Chess Championships in Singapore after winning six gold medals.

Banawa swept the Girls Under-6 division, taking individual gold in the standard, rapid, and blitz events. She also helped the Philippine team secure gold medals in the same three categories.

In the standard event, Banawa finished with six points in seven games and clinched the title after defeating fellow Filipino Rien Euri Villa in the final round. Her lone loss came in the third round against India’s Aditi Nambiar, but she bounced back by winning her remaining four matches.

She posted another six-point finish in the rapid event, tying fellow Filipino Elisha Romarate for the individual gold. Banawa, Romarate, and Villa later combined to win the team title.

Banawa is the daughter of International Master Joel Banawa, who also serves as her coach and heads the chess program in Alicia. She began playing chess only last year and was the youngest member of the Philippine delegation in the Singapore tournament.

The championships were held from August 7 to 17 at Our Tampines Hub.

Banawa’s six-gold performance came just two months after she swept the standard, rapid, and blitz titles in the Girls Under-8 division of the National Age Group Chess Championships in Olongapo City, where she competed against older players.

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‍MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) rejected China’s claim that Manila had committed to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, saying no binding agreement requires the Philippines to withdraw the grounded Navy vessel.

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad accused the Chinese Embassy in Manila of attempting to “rewrite history” over the Philippine presence at Ayungin Shoal.

China has repeatedly claimed that the Philippines promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre, which was deliberately grounded at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 and has since served as a Philippine military outpost. Manila has consistently denied that any binding commitment was made.

Trinidad also pointed to China’s actions at Panganiban Reef, or Mischief Reef, which Beijing occupied in 1995.

According to the AFP, Chinese officials initially described structures built on the reef as temporary shelters for fishermen and denied that they were intended for military use. The structures were later expanded into a large installation with military facilities.

The AFP said the situation at Ayungin Shoal is different, maintaining that the BRP Sierra Madre represents a lawful Philippine military presence in an area where the country exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

The 2016 arbitral award found that Ayungin Shoal, internationally known as Second Thomas Shoal, is a low-tide elevation within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and that China’s sweeping historic-rights claims within its nine-dash line have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also maintained that the provisional understanding reached by Manila and Beijing in 2024 covers rotation and resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre and does not surrender Philippine sovereignty or sovereign rights in the area.

The AFP said it will continue to protect Philippine sovereignty, uphold international law and maintain the country’s presence at Ayungin Shoal.

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‍MANILA, Philippines — Police Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano has assumed leadership of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), succeeding Police Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, who reached mandatory retirement.

During the change of command ceremony at the NCRPO, Abrahano said his administration will focus on strengthening police visibility and ensuring faster response to incidents across Metro Manila.

He said police officers must remain ready to respond whenever the public needs assistance, stressing that accessibility and prompt action are essential to building public trust.

Abrahano previously served as regional director of Police Regional Office 10. He also headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group from July to September 2025. PNP records from October 2025 listed him as PRO 10 director.

He also previously served as director of the PNP Aviation Security Group and as provincial director of the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office.

Abrahano is a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Kaagapay Class of 1996.

Aberin, meanwhile, retired on August 23 after serving as NCRPO chief. His tenure included efforts to maintain police presence in key areas and major convergence points across Metro Manila.

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