Duterte impeachment trial enters week seven with hostile witness testimony

MANILA – The seventh week of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment proceedings centered on the account of Gina Acosta, a former special disbursing officer at the Office of the Vice President who emerged as the prosecution's initial hostile witness.

Acosta's testimony provided details about the withdrawal of P125 million in confidential funds from LandBank, which she stated occurred pursuant to instructions from Duterte. The former official's examination marked a significant development in the trial, as her shift to a hostile witness status suggested potential complications in the prosecution's case strategy.

The trial has now progressed through seven weeks of proceedings as both sides continue to present evidence and witness testimony. The impeachment case against the Vice President involves questions surrounding the use and allocation of confidential and intelligence funds during her tenure as Office of the Vice President head.

Acosta's role as disbursing officer positioned her as a central figure with firsthand knowledge of financial transactions, making her testimony a critical element of the prosecution's presentation. The hostile witness designation indicated that Acosta's responses may not have aligned with prosecution expectations, complicating efforts to establish the narrative prosecutors sought to establish during this phase of the trial.