Palace: Plunder, graft raps vs. Sara Duterte must be probed

Malacañang said Friday the plunder and graft complaints recently filed against Vice President Sara Duterte should be investigated properly.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked for comment on the complaints lodged against the Vice President and 15 other officials of the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President with regard to the alleged misuse of P612.5-million confidential funds.

"Muli, kung ito naman po ay mayroon silang basehan para masampahan ng kaso ang Bise Presidente, depende na po iyan sa mga complainants," Castro said in a briefing.

(Again, if they have basis against the Vice President, that depends on the complainants.) 

"Kung ano po ang isinasaad sa kanilang complaint, kung nakapag-attach sila ng kanilang mga ebidensiya, mas maganda pong maimbestigahan ito nang mabuti," she added. 

(Whatever was stated in the complaint, if they attached the pieces of evidence, it would be better if this will be investigated properly.) 

Among the complainants who went to the Office of the Ombudsman were former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno, 2025 Ramon Magsaysay awardee Father Flavie Villanueva, and Father Robert Reyes.

Aside from plunder and graft, the complaints also alleged malversation and other related complaints against Duterte over her supposed misuse of confidential funds from 2022 to 2023.

They said that despite lengthy and repeated congressional inquiries, Duterte has refused to explain where her offices spend such amounts of public funds, a stance which they said betrays the people's trust.

To recall, Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds during her vice presidency was among the bases of the impeachment case filed by the House of Representatives against the Vice President.

The impeachment case, however, was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last July 25 for violating the one-year bar rule, or one impeachment complaint filed against an impeachable official per year, and for violating the Vice President’s right to due process. — VDV, GMA Integrated News