Take backseat in impeach trial, Ombudsman told

The House prosecution panel on Tuesday said the Office of the Ombudsman must wait for the Senate impeachment court’s verdict in its trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before deciding if she should face criminal prosecution.

House prosecution team spokesperson Antonio Audie Bucoy issued the statement after Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered the Vice President to respond to the allegations of criminal activity against her.

The charges — technical malversation of public funds, plunder, and falsification of public documents — surfaced during a House inquiry into the Vice President’s use of her office’s budget, particularly P612.5 million in confidential funds from 2022 to 2023.

“The impeachment proceedings are of primordial consideration,” Bucoy said in a press conference.

He cited Section 21 of the Ombudsman Act, or Republic Act 6770, which bars the Ombudsman from investigating impeachable officials because the Constitution assigns their accountability to the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.

“Secondly, there is also a provision — Section 22 — stating that if the Ombudsman does investigate an impeachable official, the only purpose must be to file a verified impeachment complaint. That’s it,” Bucoy said.

He pointed out these provisions support the prosecution’s position and align with the constitutional mandate to proceed immediately with the impeachment trial. Any criminal investigation by the Ombudsman, he said, should be deferred.

“The Senate impeachment court has already acquired jurisdiction over the case. The Ombudsman should await the outcome of the proceedings. He should take a backseat and see what evidence will be presented during the trial,” Bucoy said.

On 19 June, the Ombudsman ordered the Vice President to comment on allegations including technical malversation, perjury, falsification of public documents, bribery, corruption, plunder, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution.

The order identified the House good government and public accountability committee as the complainant, though the panel has since clarified that it did not file a formal complaint with the Ombudsman.

Sara’s back

Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte returned to the Philippines on Tuesday after a trip to Melbourne, Australia. She arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 1:10 p.m. on Philippine Airlines flight PR 210.

While in Australia, Duterte joined a protest calling for the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained in The Hague, Netherlands.

“I am not on holiday for this trip,” she said in an interview. “I’m here to discuss with the Filipino community what we can do for the country.”

Duterte said she harbored no personal grudge against the President but was critical of his performance and alleged constitutional violations, including her father’s supposed “rendition.”

Earlier this week, her legal team asked the Senate impeachment court to dismiss the complaints against her, citing a violation of the one-year bar rule under the Constitution.