Civil society leaders on Friday filed a plunder complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte and 15 other officials before the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds of the OVP and the Department of Education
One of the complainants, Ramon Magsaysay 2025 awardee Fr. Flaviano Villanueva said he is hopeful the Ombudsman will put an end to the “mockery of the system of checks and balances” enshrined in the Constitution.
“For our public, we are doing this to show that accountability is happening and we will not be shaken by any confrontation or scrutiny because confidential funds are public funds. (The OVP’s confidential funds) should be scrutinized to see if these were used in the right way,” he said.
He said Duterte undermined the essence of public service with what he described as her indiscriminate misuse of public funds without fear of accountability.
Among the multiple criminal violations cited in the complaint were plunder, bribery, malversation, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust.
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino deputy spokesman Ferdinand Topacio, however, said the complaint was a recycled smear campaign against the Vice President.
The PDP said it viewed the complaint with both “alarm and amusement.”
Topacio said the case only aimed to undermine Duterte’s chances at the presidency in the 2028 elections.
“The people should always remain alert and ready to thwart such brazen attempts to frustrate legal processes and the will of the people. Eternal vigilance, after all, is the price of freedom,” he said.
Malacañang, for its part, said the criminal complaints filed against the Vice President should be properly investigated.
“If the complainants have attached supporting evidence, it should be thoroughly investigated,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said.
Aside from Villanueva, other complainants included former Finance Undersecretary Maria Cielo Magno, Fr. Roberto Reyes, former Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles, UP Professor Emerita Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, anti-corruption advocate Christopher Cabahug, as well as youth leaders Matthew Silverio and John Lloyd Crisostomo.
Some 15 officials of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) were also named respondents.
The complaint alleged that the respondents engaged in a coordinated and deliberate system to divert, mishandle, and conceal confidential funds across the OVP and DepEd.
It cited acknowledgment receipts bearing fictitious names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Nova,” “Oishi,” and multiple versions of “Dodong,” among others.
In an interview with Manila Standard, lawyer Michael Henry Yusingco said that if convicted, the respondents face reclusion perpetua since plunder is a capital offense.
“The penalty is imprisonment and recovery of the stolen money. From what I can see, bail may not be an option for her (Duterte). So, this could mean detention for her too as the case is heard in the Sandiganbayan,” he said.
Yusingco, who is an expert on public policy, governance, and constitutional reform, said the Sandiganbayan should open the trial to public scrutiny.
