Retired Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) manager Violeta Constantino testifies during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial that cash withdrawals made by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were “unusual.” In multiple reports, Constantino describes the OVP’s withdrawal pattern as atypical, including a P125 million withdrawal made in a single transaction from a LandBank branch linked to OVP confidential funds. She also characterizes the OVP’s larger reported cash withdrawal total of P500 million as “unusual.”
The testimony is presented before the Senate Impeachment Court, with questions from senators reported by the outlets. In the coverage, Constantino’s responses focus on whether withdrawing such large amounts of cash at once is normal banking practice, and she indicates that it is not. The reports describe her statements as observations based on her experience as a former LandBank manager and department executive, rather than as a final conclusion about the legality or purpose of the withdrawals.
The outlets consistently report that Constantino used the term “unusual” to describe the OVP withdrawals, including the single-transaction P125 million withdrawal and the cumulative P500 million cash withdrawal.
