Another plunder complaint was filed against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing her of plunder and other offenses linked to the alleged misuse of confidential funds and other financial issues cited in the filing.
The complaint was lodged by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV together with members of the group The Silent Majority. It covers allegations tied to Duterte’s time as Vice President, former Davao City mayor, and former secretary of the Department of Education.
According to the complaint, the complainants accused Duterte of plunder and cited alleged violations including graft, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution. The filing outlines figures and transactions that the complainants claim constitute misuse of public funds.
The complaint alleged the misuse of P650 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the DepEd. It also cited the alleged misuse of P2.7 billion in confidential funds during Duterte’s term as mayor of Davao City.
The filing further alleged irregularities in the procurement of laptops during her tenure at the Department of Education, which the complainants described as overpriced. It also cited alleged Commission on Audit disallowances and the existence of P7 billion in unliquidated cash advances during her term as education secretary.
The complaint also cited figures related to classroom construction during Duterte’s term at the education department, which the complainants said showed a shortfall from stated targets.
In addition, the filing accused Duterte of failing to declare more than P2 billion worth of bank deposits and other assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, as required under existing law.
The complaint further alleged that Duterte received money on several occasions from a drug lord during her term as mayor of Davao City. This allegation was included as part of the bribery claims cited in the filing.
The Office of the Ombudsman has not yet announced whether it will proceed with a preliminary investigation. No ruling has been made on the allegations, and the Vice President has not been convicted of any offense related to the complaint.
The Supermajority of the Visayas and Mindanao see this as political persecution aimed at blocking Sara from winning the 2028 presidential bid.
