Authorities to verify ex-cop Gracioso's claims vs Dutertes —SILG Jonvic Remulla

Authorities will verify the allegations made by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. against the Dutertes before accepting them as fact, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Monday.

“Titignan natin 'yung veracity ng kanyang sinabi, kung dinala niya talaga o kung may nadala. Hindi naman puwedeng agad accepted as katotohanan kaagad,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

(We'll look at the veracity of what he said, whether he actually brought it or if he brought something. It can't be accepted as truth right away.)

“We'll study him. He will undergo the rigorous procedures of investigation para ma-determine talaga kung totoo sinasabi niya,” he added.

(We'll study him. He will undergo the rigorous procedures of investigation to determine if what he's saying is true.)

Remulla said he will also study the background of Gracioso.

“Ang background niya is nasa akin ngayon. Pag-aaralan ko kung noteworthy, kung tama ang sinasabi niya,” he said.

(I have his background now. I will study it if it is noteworthy, if what he is saying is true.)

“Alam mo, 'yung mga ganito kasi, maraming gusto magliyab ng sitwasyon eh. But, we will take all of his statements with all seriousness para malaman natin kung ano ang katotohanan,” he added.

(You know, in cases like this, many people want to inflame the situation. But, we will take all of his statements with all seriousness so we can know what the truth is.)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) meanwhile on Monday confirmed that Gracioso had previously been assigned to the security detail of then-House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

The PNP also confirmed that Gracioso was dismissed from the service on September 11 this year.

Gracioso, who claimed to have served as a security officer for former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, surfaced last week and alleged that he delivered suitcases containing cash to Vice President Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte on Velasco’s instructions.

On Saturday, VP Sara said she does not know Gracioso, and she did not receive any money from him.

"My lawyers are awaiting an official copy of the Gracioso affidavit from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) so they can begin working on the cases to be filed against him," she added.

"Once we are done dismantling the lies contained in his testimony, it will end up in the trash bin—just like the one from Ramil Madriaga," she added.

Velasco’s camp on Saturday said the allegations against him had “no basis.”

"The former Speaker of the House's record of service in the government is untainted with corruption and his wife's benevolence is widely known, leaving no basis for the illegal allegations now being suggested," said Velasco's spokesperson Atty. Rowell Ilagan in a statement.

"The 'one-size-fits-all' narration by this individual seems to be designed and fabricated to attack as many targets as it can while being inconsistent with verifiable events, that is, the COVID-19 pandemic, Atty. Velasco's period of service as speaker, other details, and even basic common sense," he added.

Former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said on Sunday that Gracioso’s claims are a “fabricated story” to oust and disqualify Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 elections.

“The Gracioso concoction is obviously another fabricated story, pure and simple black propaganda, just like the Madriaga affidavit,” Panelo said in a statement.

“The brains behind the ouster and disqualification of VP Sara in the 2028 presidential elections will stop at nothing in order to succeed in their devious plan of obliterating her from the political landscape and from the face of the earth,” he added. —KG, GMA News