Ombudsman to await result of VP Sara impeachment trial, says Martires

Ombudsman Samuel Martires said his office would wait for the outcome of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before resolving her case.

“What we have right now is the power to investigate but not to prosecute. The Ombudsman or any investigating body has to await the result of the impeachment proceeding. But if the Vice President is acquitted by the impeachment court, wala kaming power to charge her,” he said. 

He denied that he was out to sabotage the trial when his office acted on the report filed by the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability. 

“We are not grabbing the power of Congress to impeach an impeachable officer, no. Neither are we trying to supplant the findings of the House of Representatives," he said. 

According to their rules, Martires said they should treat committee reports submitted to his office as a complaint. 

“We do not treat it as a paper weight or a scratch paper,” he said.

On June 19, the Ombudsman acted on the committee report and asked Duterte to file her counter-affidavit to the alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President. 

Duterte filed her counter-affidavit at the Ombudsman on Friday, June 27, 2025. 

The House of Representatives had submitted a committee report on June 16, alleging plunder, technical malversation, falsification, use of falsified documents, perjury, bribery, corruption of public officers, and betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

Also named as respondents were Edward Fajarda and Gina Acosta, Special Disbursing Officers;  Asst. Secretary Atty. Sunshine Charry Fajarda, Director for Strategic Management Office; retired Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin, Undersecretary for Administration; and Annalyn Sevilla, Undersecretary for Finance Service. All are from the Department of Education. 

Those charged from the Office of the Vice President were Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff; Lemuel Ortonio, Asst. Chief of Staff; Lt. Col. Dennis Nolasco, Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group; and Col. Raymund Dante Lachia, Commander of Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group of the Philippine Army. 

Martires said that the investigation may take longer than the trial, saying it may be up to the next Ombudsman to tackle the issue. 

“Medyo matagal-tagal pa ito. ‘Yun ang mahirap sa mga taong nerbiyoso. ‘Yun ang mahirap sa mga taong hindi nag-aral. We are not dismissing anything. What is there to dismiss when our only power is to investigate,” he said. 

Martires is due to retire on July 27 after serving as Ombudsman for seven years.

He was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte first as associate justice of the Supreme Court and later on as Ombudsman. 

Martires denied he acted on the House committee report to pre-empt the impeachment court to favor the younger Duterte. 

“Mula nang ako’y in-appoint ni Digong (former President Duterte) sa Supreme Court hanggang sa Ombudsman, ni minsan ay hindi nakiusap sa akin si Digong,” he said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News