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MANILA, Philippines — Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo urged the Senate impeachment court on Monday, August 17, to require former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta to testify in Filipino, questioning her reliance on Bisaya during the impeachment trial after noting that she previously testified in Tagalog before the House.
According to Tulfo, Acosta can speak Tagalog, citing transcripts from the House of Representatives' committee hearings in 2024, which showed that she responded in Tagalog to House members.
"Hindi ko po maintindihan kung bakit dito hirap na hirap siya mag-Tagalog when in fact sa Congress po noong November, Tagalog po ang sagot niya," Tulfo said.
(I can't understand why she seems to be struggling to speak in Tagalog here when in fact, in Congress in November, her answers were in Tagalog.)
"Tama na po itong panloloko sa atin... please compel this witness to talk in Tagalog," he added.
(Enough with this deception against us... please compel this witness to speak in Tagalog.)
Acosta took the witness stand on Monday for Article I of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, which covers the vice president's spending of confidential funds.
She testified that Duterte personally ordered her to release P125 million in confidential funds to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, then head of Duterte's security team and the OVP's designated "security officer."
The Senate impeachment court declared Acosta a hostile witness after the prosecution highlighted her continuing coterminous employment with Duterte and her prior counter-affidavit asserting that Duterte had not misused confidential funds.
During her answers to questions from prosecution lawyer Amando Ligutan, Acosta spoke in Bisaya.
In response, Senate impeachment presiding officer Sen. Chiz Escudero asked Ligutan to speak only in either Filipino or English when questioning Acosta.
On Monday, the Senate impeachment court resumed proceedings on Article I of the impeachment charges against Duterte, which centers on the alleged misapplication of confidential funds within both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education while she served as education secretary.
