The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday expressed its commitment to accountability amid a report that former officers assigned to vice presidential security could face court martial over confidential funds.
“Here’s one thing that the Armed Forces is very sure about: No one is above the law. We commit ourselves to transparency and accountability to our personnel in terms of the rule of law,” AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said in a press conference.
He made the statement when asked about a report on Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group’s (VPSPG) former commander Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica and ex-deputy commander Colonel Dennis Nolasco who could face court martial due to their alleged involvement with the confidential funds issue of Vice President Sarah Duterte.
In a House hearing in November 2024, officers from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd)—under Duterte—said that millions of confidential funds were transferred to Nolasco and Lachica.
According to OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, Duterte gave the go-signal for her to turn over P125 million in confidential funds to Lachica in 2022.
Meanwhile, DepEd’s special disbursement officer Edward Fajarda said the department in 2023 used P112.5 million worth of confidential funds and withdrew P37.5 million from a bank and released them in weekly tranches to Nolasco.
Duterte has maintained she did not misuse OVP funds and that the congressional inquiry is just a test case for her impeachment.
The Vice President has accused the Marcos administration of using her as a “punching bag” to hide corruption in the government. —RF, GMA Integrated News
