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MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte rejected allegations by dismissed policeman Rodulfo Mondigo Gracioso Jr. that he delivered suitcases of cash to her and members of her family.
Duterte said Gracioso’s sworn statement and media interviews falsely linked her to events that she neither committed nor had knowledge of or personally experienced.
“Mariin kong tinatanggi ang mga pahayag ni Rodulfo Mondigo Gracioso Jr. sa kaniyang sinumpaang salaysay at mga panayam sa media na iniuugnay ako sa mga pangyayaring hindi ko ginawa, hindi ko nalalaman, o hindi ko personal na naranasan,” Duterte said during a livestreamed press briefing on Tuesday, October 6.
(I strongly deny the statements made by Rodulfo Mondigo Gracioso Jr. in his sworn affidavit and media interviews linking me to events that I did not commit, was not aware of, or did not personally experience.)
The vice president said her camp would submit her affidavit to authorities on Thursday, October 8.
Gracioso has alleged that he delivered cash to Duterte, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte upon the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Duterte disputes Gracioso’s claims
Duterte rejected Gracioso’s account that he fetched her from a private hangar in Pasay, drove her in a white Ford Savanna van and brought her to Diamond Hotel.
She said the Presidential Security Group handled her security from July 2016 to June 2022 and that her flights during that period were arranged through the PSG.
"Hindi kailanman nangyari na ako ay sinundo ni Gracioso sa isang private hangar sa Pasay, sumakay sa isang Ford Savanna White na artista van at hinatid sa Diamond Hotel," she said.
(It never happened that Gracioso picked me up at a private hangar in Pasay, where I boarded a white Ford Savana artist van and was taken to Diamond Hotel.)
She also said she did not own such a vehicle and that there were no records showing she visited Diamond Hotel.
Duterte questioned why she would need to speak with or thank Gracioso, saying she could communicate directly with Lord and his wife Rowena “Wen” Velasco.
She also denied that Royce Chocolate was her favorite, saying she seldom eats sweets because she is diabetic.
Duterte rejected Gracioso’s claim that former Davao City chief information officer Jefry Tupas was her personal aide who received cash on her behalf.
“Hindi ko katiwala, assistant, or personal staff si Tupas,” she said.
(Tupas is not my trustee, assistant, or personal staff.)
Duterte said she believed Gracioso included Tupas in his allegations because he mistook their friendship and Tupas’ attendance at her events as a sign that he was her subordinate. She also accused Gracioso of targeting Tupas because of homophobia.
She likewise denied owning a Hermes bag or a Patek Philippe watch.
Photos as rebuttal
Duterte presented photos of her activities to dispute Gracioso’s claims about her whereabouts in April 2019.
She said she was in Davao City for her mother’s birthday on April 14, followed by campaign rallies in Mati and Tagum on April 15, Digos on April 16, and Koronadal and Tacurong on April 17.
She said she spent April 18 to 20 at Island Buenavista before attending an Easter Egg Hunt in Davao City on April 21.
Her itinerary also showed trips to Cotabato City and Kidapawan on April 22, Malaybalay and Valencia on April 23, Puerto Princesa on April 24, and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi and Jolo, Sulu on April 25.
Duterte also disputed Gracioso’s claim that he went to her house, saying the property was too small to have the receiving area he described.
“Ang ibig sabihin lamang nito ay hindi nakapunta si Gracioso sa bahay namin dahil hindi niya alam kung anong itsura ng bahay namin,” she said.
(This simply means that Gracioso never went to our house because he did not know what our house looked like.)
She denied receiving vehicles or having an aide named “Kuya Tony.”
Duterte also denied knowing Ramil Madriaga, who identified himself as her former aide and bagman.
“Kung kunyaring totoo ang maleta na may P20 million na binigay kay Ramil Madriaga, sa bahay ko pa mismo, nakakapagtaka na hindi ito binanggit ni Madriaga,” she said.
(If the suitcase containing P20 million that was supposedly given to Ramil Madriaga at my house were indeed true, it is surprising that Madriaga did not mention it.)
She also rejected Gracioso’s claim that cash from Velasco was used to buy a motorcycle, saying she bought it in December 2017.
Velasco connection
Duterte said she believes Gracioso was among the men tasked by Rowena Velasco to monitor her husband.
“Paliwanag ni Lord, ang grupo ng mga lalaki ay ‘padala’ ni Wen na mga tagabantay upang mag-report sa kanya kung si Lord ay nambababae,” Duterte said.
“Ayon sa mga larawan ay naniniwala ako na si Gracioso ay isa sa mga taong tinutukoy ni Lord noon na tagabantay sa kanyang pangbababae,” she added.
Duterte said she met the Velascos during her father’s presidency, when Rowena introduced herself as a businesswoman close to San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang. She said Rowena also introduced her husband, who was then a politician in Marinduque.
NBI probes Gracioso's claims
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation continues to look into Gracioso’s allegations.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said investigators are validating the claims through records and other means and are not relying on Gracioso’s lie detector test.
The NBI has found that two properties identified by Gracioso as “cash houses” are owned by the Velascos. Investigators are also checking corporate, tax and financial records involving properties and businesses linked to the couple.
Matibag said these records showed that some of Gracioso’s claims about the Velascos’ relationship and assets were consistent with available documents, although the investigation remains ongoing.
The Velascos, through their lawyers, have previously denied Gracioso’s allegations.
