MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio is facing a new round of legal challenges. A group of civic and church leaders filed plunder, graft, and malversation complaints against her before the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday.
In the complaint, Duterte-Carpio was accused of unlawfully spending P612.5 million in confidential funds allotted to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023.
Former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno, Ramon Magsaysay awardee Father Flavie Villanueva, and Father Robert Reyes led the filing, saying the Vice President consistently refused to clarify how the multimillion-peso funds were used despite repeated questions from lawmakers.
According to the complainants, documents they reviewed show a pattern of irregularities involving unsupported vouchers, unexplained cash advances, and liquidation papers relying on acknowledgment receipts under fictitious names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Nova,” and “Oishi.”
They alleged that large amounts of cash were turned over to military personnel who had no formal authority to receive them.
Villanueva said the refusal to account for the confidential funds “undermines the very essence of public service,” adding that the Ombudsman must act to restore public trust in the government’s system of accountability.
The disputed confidential fund releases had earlier figured in the House of Representatives’ impeachment case against Duterte.
The Supreme Court, however, voided the impeachment effort in July, ruling that it violated the one-year prohibition on filing multiple complaints and the Vice President’s right to due process.
The House, with the backing of the Office of the Solicitor General, has since asked the Court to reconsider its ruling. House leaders argue that the fourth impeachment complaint — signed by one-third of lawmakers — constituted the only validly initiated case, making earlier complaints irrelevant to the one-year bar.
Magno said the legal challenge before the Ombudsman is meant to ensure that questions surrounding the confidential funds are not left unresolved. She stressed that citizens must use all available institutions to demand transparency from public officials.
The Ombudsman has yet to announce whether it will proceed with a preliminary investigation./PN
