New plunder raps filed vs VP Sara

Stacks of documents — piled nearly as high as the tables they rested on — were delivered to the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, as the complainants filed cases against Vice President Sara Duterte and 15 other officials over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.

The complaints came from a coalition of priests, academics, economists, women’s rights advocates, journalists and youth leaders, including Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, Fr. Roberto Reyes, and former Department of Finance undersecretary Dr. Cielo Magno.

The group claimed Duterte orchestrated parallel schemes in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to divert and conceal confidential funds through irregular transactions, unsupported disbursement vouchers, and certifications issued by officers personally appointed by her.

“In light of the many calls from the Filipino people for accountability, we cannot forget the repeated instances where the second highest official of the land avoided questions and investigations over the anomalous use of confidential funds,” Father Villanueva said.

The complaints cover plunder, bribery, malversation, graft, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution. The group urged the Ombudsman to investigate, prosecute, and, if warranted, place the implicated OVP and DepEd officials under preventive suspension.

“Today, we call on the Ombudsman to put an end to this mockery of the system of checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution,” Villanueva said. “We fervently hope that our charges against VP Sara Duterte will be upheld and she will be called to account for the hundreds of millions in confidential funds.”

The complaint noted that the alleged anomalies involved P500 million entrusted to the OVP and P112.5 million to the Department of Education. “These discrepancies became evident during the congressional budget deliberations in 2024,” the filing stated.

In June this year, the House of Representatives adopted a Good Government report recommending criminal, civil, and administrative complaints against Duterte. The report found that P621.5 million had been disbursed under her stewardship of the OVP and DepEd.

In July, the Supreme Court voided the impeachment case elevated to the Senate by the House, citing violations of the one-year bar and due process, preventing the Senate from acquiring jurisdiction over the case. The ruling, however, allowed new complaints to be filed beginning 6 February 2026.

Villanueva emphasized their action was not political. “We are angry at those who spread lies and twist the truth. There is nothing political here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino spokesperson Ferdinand Topacio responded with a mix of amusement and alarm.