The House prosecution on Wednesday presented its first witness for Article I of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, marking the start of witness testimony on allegations involving the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

Former Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) Shaw Boulevard Branch department manager Violeta Constantino took the witness stand after being sworn in before the Senate impeachment court.

House Prosecutor Rep. Joel Chua introduced Constantino as a retired department manager who served at the LandBank Shaw Boulevard Branch from May 2017 to January 2024.

According to Chua, Constantino's testimony is expected to establish how four checks worth ₱125 million each were processed and encashed at the branch for Gina F. Acosta, who served as the Special Disbursing Officer of the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023.

“Si Miss Constantino ay personal na nakasaksi at nag-oversee ng pag-encash at pagtanggap ng pera mula sa tseke ni Miss Acosta,” Chua told the impeachment court.

The prosecution said Constantino personally witnessed and supervised the encashment of the checks and the release of the cash to Acosta, making her a key witness in the proceedings involving the handling of confidential funds.

Article I of the impeachment complaint accuses Vice President Duterte of the alleged improper use of confidential funds totaling ₱612.5 million released to the OVP and DepEd during her tenure.

Constantino's appearance marks the prosecution's first presentation of testimonial evidence under Article I as the Senate impeachment court begins examining the confidential funds issue in the impeachment proceedings against the vice president.