MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said it would leave it to the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds from her office covering the years 2022 to 2023.
“It’s in the hands of the Office of the Ombudsman,” said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro when asked for comment regarding calls for a probe into the Vice President’s spending.
Opposition coalition Tindig Pilipinas earlier appealed to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla to investigate Duterte’s use of P625 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) during that period.
Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives in February over allegations that she misused P612.5 million in confidential funds and issued death threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., among other charges.
A previous inquiry by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability found irregularities in the liquidation of the OVP’s confidential fund for 2022 and 2023, including acknowledgment receipts with incorrect dates, non-existent or unnamed signatories, and illegible signatures.
The Vice President has denied the accusations.
In July, the Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment case against Duterte violated the one-year bar rule and due process, citing the inclusion of at least seven new requirements for an impeachment complaint, criteria that were not part of the original process.
Remulla said the House committee’s findings could serve as “useful information” for any possible investigation.
He added that while he has yet to read the formal letter from the opposition group, his office would act accordingly once it is reviewed.