NBI files raps vs. Palpal-lotoc, 3 CHR officials

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday, 9 October, filed a graft case against Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairman Richard Palpal-lotoc and three other officials concerning his travel to France in 2025.

The complaint was filed by the NBI’s Public Corruption Division which asked the OMB to conduct a preliminary investigation against the four respondents to determine if charges should be filed before the courts for alleged violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as well as for gross misconduct.

The other respondents named in the complaint are CHR officials Maria Teresa Dolor, Onesimo Cuyco, and Russel Mani.

The case concerns Palpal-lotoc’s 2025 month-long stay in France where he attended the 54th International Institute of Human Rights Summer School.

The NBI said that according to Palpal-lotoc the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) fully funded the training whose airfare, accommodation, meals, and subsistence.

Despite this, the agency said the Palpal-lotoc charged the CHR with subsistence allowance and representation expenses for the same period.

The bureau found that Mani was the one who certified as complete the supporting documents submitted by Palpal-lotoc for the release of the disbursement voucher (DV).

The NBI also determined that Dolor certified that there were funds available for release and Cuyco approved the voucher for payment.

However, the NBI said Executive Order (EO) No. 77, series of 2019, disallows representation expenses for officials attending trainings or travelling on donor-funded trips.

It added that the same EO requires the full disclosure of the foreign donor but the DV concealed the funding arrangement.

The NBI also found that the program agenda used by Palpal-lotoc was for the 53rd Summer School held in 2024 instead of the 2025 used in the DV, travel authority and actual itinerary.

“Despite missing mandatory documents, the mismatched program documentation, the prohibited claims, and the undisclosed sponsorship, the voucher passed through every control point,” stated the bureau.