Vice President Sara Duterte has directly answered the plunder and related criminal complaints filed against her, dismissing the cases as baseless and framing them as part of what she described as a sustained political effort to manufacture accusations against her.
In a statement issued on December 13, Duterte described the plunder, bribery, malversation, and graft charges over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds as “another fishing expedition,” saying the cases were being pursued to give a veneer of legitimacy to what she said was a predetermined investigation.
“It was yet another fishing expedition,” Duterte said, referring to the complaints filed before the Office of the Ombudsman by civil society leaders over the handling of confidential funds during her tenure at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
The cases accuse Duterte and 15 other former and current officials of orchestrating a scheme to divert, mishandle, and conceal public money through unsupported vouchers, blind certifications, encashment, handovers, and allegedly fabricated liquidation documents. The complainants said the alleged actions resulted in unaccounted funds and constituted plunder, graft, bribery, malversation, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust.
Duterte said the complaints followed earlier investigations by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which she claimed searched for “anything that could be twisted into grounds for impeachment.”
“Another fishing expedition is now being launched, as they scramble to weaponize any accusation they can manufacture just to create a semblance of procedural legitimacy for an investigation,” Duterte said.
She also addressed allegations raised during congressional hearings concerning the appearance of odd names listed as recipients of confidential funds, including the now widely circulated “Mary Grace Piattos,” which critics and netizens have said appeared to be a fabricated name.
Duterte said the congressional inquiry and the criminal complaints distorted the facts and ignored broader governance issues, while singling her out for scrutiny.
She recalled what she described as a “revelation” during impeachment proceedings that signatures for her fourth impeachment complaint were allegedly solicited in exchange for budget allocations. She said lawmakers themselves had “confirmed” that the impeachment process was “being cheapened and reduced to a marketplace.”
In her statement, Duterte urged Filipinos to examine the accusations critically and warned against what she called damaging narratives being repeated as fact.
“This is not about seeking truth. This is about covering up the robbery to the nation’s coffers that until now, no one was held accountable,” Duterte said in Filipino, remarks she said were directed at alleged kickback schemes linked to infrastructure projects.
She also sought to project continuity in government work despite the legal cases.
“Let us continue to be strong in facing the downfall of our economy and the non-stop rise in prices of commodities,” Duterte said. “Let us continue to pray for peace.”
The complainants, composed of priests, economists, academics, youth leaders, and anti-corruption advocates, said they submitted documentary evidence and sworn testimonies to support the cases.
They accused Duterte and her co-respondents, including senior officials from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, of employing a systematic method to divert and conceal confidential funds.
Aside from plunder, the complaints include charges of bribery, malversation, and graft. They also cite culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, which are grounds for impeachment but are not criminal offenses under the Revised Penal Code.
Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds was previously cited as a basis for an impeachment complaint filed by the House of Representatives. The Supreme Court later ruled that impeachment unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule. A motion for reconsideration remains pending.
Duterte said the renewed filing of cases reflects political motives rather than a genuine pursuit of accountability. She maintained that she is addressing the allegations openly and on record, and urged the public to weigh the accusations carefully as the legal process unfolds.
The Office of the Ombudsman has yet to announce whether it will proceed with a preliminary investigation into the complaints.
