House private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan presented before the impeachment court on Tuesday, August 11, several acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to the Commission on Audit (COA) in connection with the liquidation of its confidential funds.
Among the names appearing on the documents were Pia Piatos-Lim and Ralph Josh Bacon, who were listed as recipients of payments for the alleged “purchase of information.”
According to the acknowledgment receipts presented by Kapunan, Piatos-Lim received ₱140,000, while Bacon received ₱150,000 for “purchase of information.”
Kapunan raised the names while questioning COA-ICFAO State Auditor Xylene Del Campo about the acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP in response to a Notice of Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) concerning the use and liquidation of confidential funds.
Aside from Piatos-Lim and Bacon, other names appearing on the acknowledgment receipts presented in court included Anne Ongpauco, Heart Santiago, Beth Revilla, Clarisse Hontiveros, Jose Diokno Jr., Diane Maple Lapid, and John A. Lapid.
The receipts indicated different purposes and amounts, including payments for the “purchase of information,” “purchase of supplies,” and “purchase of provision of medical and food aid.”
Kapunan also made a light remark while asking about Bacon's name during the proceedings.
“Bacon?, Alas dose na, gutom na tayo,” Kapunan quipped, drawing attention to the name as she went through the documents with Del Campo.
Based on the receipts presented by the prosecution, the following amounts and purposes were listed:
Pia Piatos-Lim — ₱140,000 for “purchase of information”
Ralph Josh Bacon — ₱150,000 for “purchase of information”
Anne Ongpauco — ₱50,000 for “purchase of information”
Heart Santiago — ₱250,000 for “purchase of supplies”
Feonna Villegas — ₱500,000 for “purchase of provision of medical and food aid”
Beth Revilla — ₱50,000 for “purchase of information”
Clarisse Hontiveros — ₱500,000 for “purchase of provision of medical and food aid”
Jose Diokno Jr. — ₱120,000 for “purchase of information”
Diane Maple Lapid — ₱150,000 for “purchase of supplies”
John A. Lapid — ₱350,000 for “purchase of provision of medical and food aid”
The acknowledgment receipts form part of the documents being examined by the prosecution in connection with Article I of the impeachment complaint, which alleges the misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The prosecution has been presenting the documents to support its case on the liquidation of the OVP's confidential funds, while COA officials have been asked to explain the findings and observations arising from their audit of the submitted liquidation documents.
