🔴LIVE NOW:Top Army General Lachica VP Sara Luistro Martin Romualdez Tulfo Abante Impeachment Trial

Lachica has been in the military for more than 33 years after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in March 1993. He was once the director for research and special studies of the Philippine Army.The former OVP special disbursement officer Gina Acosta, the prosecution finally made itself clear: It was zeroing in on Lachica, the man Duterte entrusted with the questioned funds.With Lachica now uncovered, the prosecution managed to establish that there was supposedly a break in the “chain of accountability,” as defined by a previous witness, Commission on Audit state auditor Xylene del Campo, in the disbursement of the P125 million, a quarter of the questioned P500 million in confidential funds released to the OVP between 2022 to 2023, when Lachica took an active role in receiving and dispensing the funds.Why Lachica? Why did Duterte trust him that much? Was it proper for Duterte to deputize him, not Acosta, to dispense the funds?According to del Campo, quoting the joint circular of 2015, only Acosta was the authorized disbursing officer. Nobody else.Thus, for the OVP to transfer that responsibility, that power, or that burden from Acosta to Lachica was questionable, on top of the many issues involving the insufficient compliance of documentary evidence covering confidential funds as provided for by the 2015 joint circular crafted and issued by COA, the Budget, National Defense, local government units, among other government agencies.COA found it too objectionable that it issued the OVP a Notice of Disallowance involving the P125 million shortly after Acosta admitted in a House committee hearing in November 2024 that she released the P125 million to Lachica, at Duterte’s order.Both prosecution lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan and Acosta referred to Lachica as the “security officer” throughout the hearing. But Lachica is not a lowly security officer.He is not a regular employee of the OVP, but he was appointed by the top Armed Forces of the Philippines brass to head Duterte’s security group. He was on top of a composite military and police command to keep the vice president safe.Until he was relieved of his post as a result of the confidential fund controversy in October 2025, Lachica’s functions included receiving, evaluating, and acting on intelligence information that might be considered threats to Duterte's life and even to her immediate family.