THE camp of Vice President Sara Duterte has accused the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of weaponizing government institutions for political persecution.
In a statement, Duterte’s spokesperson, Attorney Salvador Panelo Jr., cited the series of press conferences held by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding supposed discrepancies found in the declared Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) of the Vice President.
Panelo said Matibag aired the alleged findings of the agency to the media even prior to informing Duterte of the allegations, denying her the opportunity to respond.
“That is not the work of a fair and impartial investigative body. That is a shameless smear campaign against the Vice President using public funds, headlined by a man with a documented conflict of interest against her,” he said.
“If the NBI’s findings were truly credible or reliable, then why were they excluded by the prosecution in the impeachment trial where alleged undeclared or misdeclared properties in the Vice President’s SALN are precisely at issue, and where the NBI’s supposed findings can be authenticated, challenged, and rebutted by the defense for the world to see?” he added.
Duterte earlier maintained that she declared all her assets and liabilities in her SALN correctly and in good faith, and all allegations to the contrary are false.
Panelo said the Vice President is confident that this will be proven in the impeachment trial and, if necessary, before the Ombudsman once given formal notice.
Matibag earlier said they have found possible discrepancies between the properties declared by Duterte in her SALN and the actual number of land assets she and her family own.
He also noted an alleged pattern of land banking, where money is invested through the purchase of parcels of land.
Duterte on Tuesday, October 13, denied owning the properties allegedly identified by Gracioso and investigated by the NBI.
Gracioso, a former security aide of former House Speaker Lord Alan Velasco, claimed to have delivered multi-million pesos in cash to the Dutertes, including Davao City Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte when the latter was still the head of the lower house.
Matibag, in response, urged Duterte to file a case against Gracioso if she believes he is not telling the truth. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)