VP Sara's office gets Ombudsman order to answer fund misuse charges

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June 20, 2025 | 5:13pm

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte's office confirmed on Friday, June 20, that it has received the Ombudsman's order for her and other officials to respond to the charges that the House of Representatives' good government panel recommended against her concerning her alleged misuse of public funds.

"The Office of the Vice President confirms receipt of the order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman at approximately 09:00 AM today," the OVP said in a statement sent to reporters.

The Office of the Ombudsman specifically asked Duterte and nine OVP and Department of Education officials — some who no longer work there — to respond to the plunder, bribery, corruption and technical malversation complaint filed against them. The charges also include those related to falsification, use of falsified documents, and betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

Officials named in complaint

Besides Duterte, the respondents asked to answer the charges are the following:

• OVP chief of staff Zuleika Lopez
• OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta
• Former DepEd assistant secretary Sunshine Fajarda
• Former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda
• Former DepEd undersecretary for finance Annalyn Sevilla
• Former DepEd undersecretary for administration Retired Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin
• Col. Raymund Lachica, the commander of the vice president's security group

The complaint itself was not filed by the House good government panel, but is based on the committee report it submitted from its marathon hearings into Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds

The Ombudsman requires Duterte and other respondents to file their counter-affidavit and other supporting documents within 10 days of receiving the order. 

Failure to do so will waive their "right to submit controverting evidence," and "the preliminary investigation shall proceed accordingly," the document reads.

"Thereafter, this case shall be deemed submitted for resolution on the basis of the evidence presented by the parties, whose presence may be dispensed with, unless otherwise required for clarificatory questioning," it added. 

The Ombudsman order also stated that no motion to dismiss or to ask for a bill of particulars would be entertained. 

Findings sent to multiple agencies. House spokesperson Princess Abante said at a press conference on Friday that the good government panel sent its findings not just to the Office of the Ombudsman, but "all other agencies, such as the Department of Justice" and the Department of Budget and Management. 

The charges, in particular, stem from the House committee's months-long investigation into alleged irregularities in the use of confidential funds totaling P612.5 million by the OVP and DepEd under Duterte from 2022 to 2023. 

Central to the allegations are dubious acknowledgment receipts that the committee said contained fictitious names, multiple errors, and similarities in handwriting and signatures of different alleged recipients. Lawmakers argued these documents were fabricated to justify the release of the confidential funds.

The committee also recommended technical malversation charges against Duterte, Acosta, and Fajarda for allegedly using confidential funds for purposes other than those mandated by law.  

Falsification charges were recommended over the questionable acknowledgment receipts, while perjury charges were recommended against Duterte and Acosta for their notarized certification that the confidential funds were used for necessary and legal purposes.

Charges recommended. The committee recommended bribery charges against Duterte and Fajarda for allegedly offering and distributing cash envelopes to DepEd employees.

Plunder cases — which involve the systematic accumulation of ill-gotten wealth of at least P50 million — were recommended against nine officials, including Duterte, for allegedly amassing public funds from the total P612.5 million used by both agencies.

The same allegations formed part of the complaints that the House of Representatives used as basis to impeach Duterte in February.  

Duterte is currently on a "personal trip" in Australia, according to the OVP. She is scheduled to join a rally there in support of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, on Sunday.

— with reports by Dominique Nicole Flores