House clarifies: Ombudsman pursued case vs. VP Duterte

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

The committee report was sent to the Ombudsman on June 16. (File Photo By patrickroque01/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – The House of Representatives clarified Friday that it did not directly file a complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman, amid reports that the anti-graft body had ordered her and several officials to respond to serious charges, including plunder and corruption.

“We have not received a copy of the said order to file a counter-affidavit. I’ve learned about it through the reports and I’ve seen it on social media,” House spokesperson Princess Abante said in a press briefing.

“What I know is that the House or the Committee (on Good Government and Public Accountability) itself did not file any complaint, but it appears that the Ombudsman acted upon the recommendation of the committee,” she added.

On June 10, the House adopted the findings of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte’s leadership.

The committee report was sent to the Ombudsman on June 16.

“The plenary adopted the report of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on June 10. And the committee report was furnished to the Ombudsman… they received it on June 16,” Abante said.

“So, it appears that the Ombudsman acted upon the recommendation of the committee,” she added, noting that the Office of the Ombudsman can initiate investigations on its own.

Abante emphasized that while the House endorsed the committee’s report, it was not the complainant in the case.

The report recommended the filing of multiple charges against Duterte and other officials, including technical malversation, falsification of documents, perjury, bribery, plunder and violations of the constitution.