Sara Duterte staff member falls ill amid House inquiry on confi fund use

A member of Vice President Sara Duterte’s staff was rushed to the hospital on Monday night amid questions on her knowledge on signatories on receipts used to justify the disbursement of P125 million confidential funds of the OVP in 2022.

Special Disbursement Officer Gina Acosta of the Office of Vice President (OVP)  was seen being wheeled out of the Batasang Pambansa at around 6:13 pm amid the ongoing House good government and public accountability panel inquiry on budget use of the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure as Education Secretary.

Duterte, who was present during the House panel inquiry, accompanied Acosta until the latter was transferred to an ambulance that took her to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC)  as of 6:38 pm, according to a statement from the OVP Legal Office.

“Ms. Gina [Acosta] is currently unresponsive for now so House Medical Director Luis Bautista declared it an emergency,” said lawyer Leandro Resurreccion IV.

House Deputy Speaker Jay-jay Suarez later mentioned that Acosta’s blood pressure shot up to 150/100.

Prior to falling ill, Acosta said she turned over the entire P125 million worth of OVP confidential funds to a certain “Colonel Lachica” who heads the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) even if she was the disbursing auditor. —RF, GMA Integrated News