Jamaine Punzalan

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Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785311192850witness.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Former Land Bank of the Philippines-Shaw Boulevard Branch Manager Violeta Constantino and former Land Bank-DepEd Branch manager Nenita Camposano testify during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA (<strong>2nd UPDATE</strong>) — Large cash withdrawals totalling P612.5 million for Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s offices from 2022 to 2023 were &quot;unusual,&quot; two former managers of the Land Bank of the Philippines who handled the transactions testified Wednesday.</div><p>Duterte is facing allegations of &quot;systematic misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation&quot; of P612.5 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (P500 million) and the Department of Education (P112.5 million), which she previously headed. She and her lawyers have denied the accusations. </p><p>During the resumption of <a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial</a> at the Senate, two former branch managers of the Land Bank separately confirmed that the vice president&#x27;s aides made large encashments in the bank&#x27;s Shaw Boulevard and DepEd branches.</p><p>The OVP withdrew P500 million funds through special disbursing officer Gina Acosta from Land Bank’s Shaw Boulevard branch in four encashments (P125 million each), while the DepEd under Duterte took out P112.5 million funds through a certain Edward Fajarda from the bank’s DepEd branch in three encashments (P37.5 million each), they said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/14/-wait-madriaga-claims-he-disposed-of-ovp-s-p125-m-confidential-funds-in-less-than-24-hours-1424">Madriaga claims he &#x27;disposed&#x27; of OVP&#x27;s P125-M confidential funds &#x27;in less than 24 hours&#x27;</a></div><p>The two former bank managers said they were not aware that the money was intended for Duterte offices&#x27; confidential fund use.</p><p>Violeta Constantino, retired LBP Shaw Boulevard department manager who was with the bank for around 32 years, told the court that it was her &quot;first time&quot; to handle such large withdrawals, describing them as &quot;unusual.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Kaya naging unusual kasi cash siyang kinukuha. Sa other [government agencies] nag-i-issue sila ng mga cheke, yung disbursement nila by checks; hindi cash,&quot; Constantino said.</p><p>She recalled that the bulk of cash was packed in around four &quot;gym bags&quot; and that Acosta was accompanied by other individuals. The bank provided a trolley for the transport of the cash, she added.</p><p>Meanwhile, Nenita Camposano, former manager of the LBP-DepEd branch who was with the bank for around 34 years, said that the three encashments of checks worth P37.5 million each when Duterte was DepEd secretary were &quot;unusual&quot; for the agency.</p><p>Camposano said that it was also her first time to handle such large transactions for the DepEd, noting that the agency typically makes cash withdrawals of around P10 million.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;HINDI KAMI NAG-DOUBT&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano asked, &quot;Just because it&#x27;s unusual, it doesn&#x27;t mean it&#x27;s illegal or whatever, tama ba?&quot;</p><p>&quot;Wala namang illegal doon sa encashment,&quot; Constantino said.</p><p>During Senator-judge Bam Aquino&#x27;s interpellation, Constantino agreed that government transactions are also covered by Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) rules.</p><p>&quot;Any amount above P500,000 whether private o gobyerno nire-report n&#x27;yo sa AMLC?&quot; Aquino asked the former bank executive, referring to &quot;covered&quot; transactions.</p><p>&quot;Supposedly,&quot; Constantino said.</p><p>When Aquino asked Constantino about flagging transactions as &quot;suspicious,&quot; Constantino said, &quot;Kung sa tingin namin ay doubtful yung transaction.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Pero for this particular [case], hindi naman kami nag-doubt kasi alam namin na legit yung transaction,&quot; she said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/22/amlc-reports-33-suspicious-bank-transactions-under-sara-duterte-husband-1431">AMLC flags P6.7-B &#x27;suspicious, covered&#x27; transactions linked to Sara Duterte, husband</a></div><p>&quot;Covered&quot; transactions mean more than P500,000 was made in one banking day while transactions are tagged &quot;suspicious&quot; if the money is unjustified, the client is not properly identified, or the amount does not match with the business or financial capacity of a client, among other circumstances.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/29/escudero-cuts-short-de-lima-opening-statement-1116">Escudero cuts short De Lima opening statement</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>PAYEE </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo argued that the release of confidential funds, under the joint circular of the Commission on Audit and the Department of Budget and Management, should only go through the head of the agency or a person designated as special disbursing officer.</p><p>When Tulfo asked Camposano whether Fajarda, who was the payee of the DepEd checks, presented documents saying he was the special disbursing officer authorized to receive the agency&#x27;s funds, the ex-bank officer said he did not.</p><p>&quot;Nagpunta doon si Mr. Fajarda na siya yung payee at nag-present siya ng identification … as payee of the cheke in-honor na namin yun,&quot; Camposano said, adding that Sonya De Leon, head of DepEd&#x27;s cash division, coordinated with them ahead of the transactions.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/29/prosecution-to-present-coa-house-officials-as-witnesses-next-week-1501">Prosecution to present COA, House officials as witnesses next week</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/29/status-quo-presentation-of-evidence-observed-in-duterte-impeachment-trial-1431">Status quo presentation of evidence observed in Duterte impeachment trial</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/29/-alarming-and-concerning-impeachment-prosecution-flags-spliced-chel-diokno-video-1420">‘Alarming and concerning’: Impeachment prosecution flags spliced Chel Diokno video</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qbqma5rUDwY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vzR11TjbJXs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rOrFw5sY-TU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Large cash withdrawals totalling P612.5 million for Vice President Sara Duterte's offices from 2022 to 2023 were "unusual," two former managers of the Land Bank of the Philippines who handled the transactions testified Wednesday.</p>

Large cash withdrawals totalling P612.5 million for Vice President Sara Duterte's offices from 2022 to 2023 were "unusual," two former managers of the Land Bank of the Philippines who handled the transactions testified Wednesday.

OVP’s cash withdrawals ‘unusual’ — ex-bank managers

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OVP’s cash withdrawals ‘unusual’ — ex-bank managers

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 29, 2026 12:25 PM PHT

|

Updated July 29, 2026 03:57 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Impeachment Trial

Senate Trial

Sara Duterte Trial

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