The Office of the Ombudsman is reviewing evidence related to Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, following a request for materials from the House prosecution panel. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla says the Ombudsman is evaluating the submitted information and will file the necessary criminal cases once the evidence is ready. The move follows developments in the Senate’s impeachment proceedings, where House prosecutors dropped some impeachment articles but left questions tied to confidential funds.
House prosecution officials, including spokesman Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, say they expect the evidence could still support criminal charges and even lead to conviction outside the impeachment process. They cite the Commission on Audit’s (COA) final action on a notice of disallowance involving millions of pesos in confidential expenditures connected to the Office of the Vice President and Duterte’s prior role at the Department of Education.
Across outlets, the focus remains on whether the Ombudsman will pursue prosecution based on Article I–linked confidential funds allegations and whether those issues can result in a criminal outcome even if impeachment does not resolve the matter.
