The prosecution used an artificial intelligence-generated image and simulated cash bundles as visual aids to illustrate how ₱125 million in confidential funds allegedly withdrawn by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) would have appeared during Day 16 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Prosecution counsel Atty. Amando Ligutan presented an AI-generated image showing ₱125 million in cash and asked former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta whether it was similar to what she saw when she encashed the funds.
“Because we don't have 125 million pesos in cold cash so we had to resort to technology,” Ligutan said.
When the defense asked whether the image was AI-generated, Ligutan confirmed that it was.
Acosta then demonstrated with her hands the approximate size of the cash pile. The prosecution also presented simulated bundles of cash as props to represent the ₱125 million allegedly released to the OVP in December 2022.
The props depicted cash placed in two boxes, while Acosta said she brought four travel bags to carry the money after encashing it.
Defense counsel Atty. Lindon Bacquel objected to the use of the props, describing them as merely blue paper wrapped in plastic and questioning whether they accurately represented ₱125 million.
Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero overruled the objection, noting that the prosecution had clearly presented the items as a simulation.
Bacquel later asked that the props be removed, arguing they were unnecessary to Acosta’s testimony and stressing that the witness should be respected.
Escudero allowed Ligutan to continue his presentation but directed him to “wind it up.”
The use of the AI-generated image and simulated cash bundles formed part of the prosecution’s presentation aimed at illustrating Acosta’s account of the alleged cash withdrawal involving ₱125 million in OVP confidential funds.
