MindaNews / 29 July 2026 — Violeta Constantino, retired Landbank manager of its Shaw Boulevard branch, described as “unusual” but “legitimate” the amounts and manner with which the Office of the Vice President (OVP) made withdrawals from its confidential funds deposited in the bank.
Constantino, who headed the bank branch from May 2017 until her retirement in January 2025, testified on four checks worth ₱125 million each payable to Gina F. Acosta, the special disbursing officer of the OVP.
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte entered its 10th day on Wednesday with the Senate impeachment court tackling Article I on confidential funds.
Responding to Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo, Constantino said the encashments were not normal compared with transactions of other government agencies.
“I oversaw this encashment when I was the branch manager,” said Constantino, referring to the checks dated December 20, 2022, January 31, 2023, April 18, 2023, and July 13, 2023, and drawn against the OVP’s account.
Under questioning by Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros, Constantino said that in her 32 years at Land Bank, it was her first time to see a cash withdrawal of ₱125 million.
She said it was unusual because the withdrawals were made in cash unlike other clients who would disburse using checks when large amounts are involved.
But Constantino, upon questioning by Senator-Judges Bam Aquino and Joel Villanueva, said the transactions were legitimate based on the bank’s standpoint.
“If it’s successive, the transactions would now become usual,” she answered in Filipino when asked whether four successive ₱125-million withdrawals would still be unusual.
In his interjection, Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano said that just because a withdrawal is unusual “doesn’t mean it’s illegal.”
He cited that during his time as foreign affairs secretary, he had to call the Land Bank president to withdraw up to ₱100 million to assist passengers who were stranded at seaports and airports due to a storm.
Senator-Judge Panfilo Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said the pattern of the OVP’s withdrawals was odd. He noted these were done quarterly, the first made shortly before Christmas.
“What I know is if there’s a need because there’s an intelligence gathering operation, only then would you need money. I’m wondering why it was so regular, and the first [withdrawal] happened just before Christmas,” he said in Filipino.
Constantino, upon questioning by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, said that before the OVP transactions, she had only handled ₱500,000 at most in cash withdrawal.
She added that private companies along Shaw Boulevard had never made cash withdrawals amounting to hundreds of millions.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp did not question the authenticity of the four ₱125-million checks encashed by Acosta as the OVP’s special disbursing officer.
“Just to expedite the proceedings, Your Honor, we are willing to stipulate that the witness has the ability to identify these checks. And we are also not questioning the authenticity of such checks,” defense counsel Michael Poa told the court.
The defense waived its right to cross-examine Constantino. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)
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