VP Duterte may be relying on Ombudsman to take over NBI probe – solon

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte may be waiting for the Office of the Ombudsman to take over the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe into her threats against key government officials, Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano said on Friday.

In a statement, Valeriano said he hopes Duterte’s absence at the NBI’s investigation into her death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez was not connected to the recent statements of Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

Earlier, Martires was quoted by political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, saying that the Ombudsman can take over the investigation of any case by any investigative agency.

“Nawa’y walang kinalaman ang hindi pagsipot ni VP Sara Duterte sa NBI, sa naging pahayag ni Ombudsman Samuel Martires na maaaring mag-intervene ang Ombudsman sa NBI investigation,” Valeriano said.

(I hope VP Sara Duterte’s absence from the NBI probe does not have anything to do with Martires’ statements about the Ombudsman possibly intervening with the NBI investigation.)

“Posibleng iniisip ni VP Sara Duterte ay maililigtas siya ng Ombudsman,” he added.

(VP Sara Duterte might be thinking that she will be saved by the Ombudsman.)

Valeriano also believes that the Ombudsman and eventually, Sandiganbayan, have no jurisdiction over the issues faced by Duterte as it does not involve graft and corruption.

“Sa aking palagay, dahil hindi naman tungkol sa graft and corruption ang sentro ng NBI investigation kay Sara Duterte, klarong labas iyan sa jurisdiction ng Ombudsman at Sandiganbayan,” he said.

(In my opinion, because the investigation of the NBI is not about graft and corruption, this is clearly outside the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.)

Martires confirmed to INQUIRER.net that the post from PDP was indeed his quotes, save for a few corrections.

“As far as we are concerned right now, we have not seen any acts of the Vice President to investigate,” Martires said.  “We do not find anything that is in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and any of the offenses in the Revised Penal Code that is in relation to the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.”

“If (Justice) Usec. Andres thinks we have jurisdiction to investigate the case, then I would advise him to shut up, to stop talking about the case otherwise one of the powers of the Ombudsman is to take over the investigation of a case by any investigative agency, at any stage of the proceedings,” he added.

Duterte did not show up before the NBI despite a subpoena from the bureau.  According to NBI Director Jaime Santiago, Duterte’s lawyer asked for a rescheduling due to an ongoing hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability.

The House hearing was scheduled on Friday, but the committee announced on Thursday that they decided to postpone their meeting so that Duterte could attend the NBI invitation.  Committee members also confirmed that they had sent out notices of cancellation before the public announcement was made.

READ: House panel postpones hearing so VP Duterte could heed NBI subpoena

Delaying tactics?

Valeriano, who has criticized the Vice President several times in the past, also asked why Duterte needed a copy of questions before she faced the NBI.

A copy of the letter from Duterte’s lawyers, provided by Valeriano’s staffers, showed that the Vice President was asking for a clear copy of the complaints filed or any document that initiated the investigation, and questions that the investigators intended to ask.

According to Valeriano, this may be part of a delaying tactic, as the Vice President was supposedly thinking of ways to respond to investigators.

“Maybe she is not ready to face the NBI.  Maybe they are thinking of an alibi.  This might be a case of ‘delaying tactics,'” he said.

“She even asked for advanced questions from the NBI.  She’s a lawyer who passed the bar examinations.  Now, there is a request for a special treatment, for the advanced questions.  What is that?  A take-home exam with open notes?” he asked.

The Vice President stirred controversy last November 22 that after visiting Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez — her chief-of-staff who was detained at the House premises — Duterte locked herself inside the office of her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte.

Due to the security problems that came with Duterte staying inside the Batasang Pambansa, the House committee decided to transfer Lopez to the Correctional Institute for Women.

After this, Duterte held a press briefing early Saturday morning, where she badmouthed the First couple and Romualdez.  The Vice President also claimed that she had already tasked someone to assassinate the three in case she was killed.

READ: Sara Duterte’s kill remark vs Marcos is ‘active threat’ – Palace

The investigation of the panel originally stemmed from Valeriano’s privilege speech last September 3, where he questioned several of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) programs as to whether it has reached its intended beneficiaries.

Eventually, different issues were unearthed with OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte.  Last Monday, it was revealed at the panel’s hearings that the special disbursing officers of OVP and DepEd left the disbursement of CFs to security officers — a move that 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez believes can be tantamount to technical malversation.

Aside from this, the COA previously handed out a notice of disallowance on P73.2 million of the OVP’s P125 million CF for 2022.