Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media at the Office of The Vice President in Mandaluyong City on December 11, 2024, after skipping on the same day a National Bureau of Investigation probe on her remarks of having  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated should she be killed. Duterte stood firm that she would not present herself before the NBI saying that its inquiry was “unfair.” Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176897280112520241211-vpsd-presscon-MT-21_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media at the Office of The Vice President in Mandaluyong City on December 11, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>— Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and a civil society group on Wednesday filed plunder, malversation, and graft complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged anomalies during her tenure as DepEd secretary and Davao City mayor.</p><p>“Pinapakita ng complaint na ito na una, ang kabuuang halaga ng mga nilimas o winaldas ni Sara Duterte ay maihahanay sa mga pinakamalalaking flood control scandal. Kaya karapat dapat na bigyan ito ng parehong pagsusuri,” Jocelyn Acosta, founder of the Silent Majority movement, told reporters.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/2/sara-duterte-vows-to-fight-corruption-greed-as-she-presents-achievements-in-2025-1121">Sara Duterte vows to fight corruption, greed as she presents achievements in 2025</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F900160229028501%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><em></em></div><p>The 41-page complaint cited the P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2023.</p><p>It further cited the P8 billion worth of allegedly overpriced laptops procured under the DepEd Computerization Program, P12.3 billion of disallowances, and P7 billion in unliquidated cash advances during Duterte’s term as education secretary.</p><p>Moreover, it referred to Commission on Audit (COA) reports that Davao City, under Duterte&#x27;s term as mayor, utilized over P2.735 billion in confidential funds from 2010 to 2022.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/25/sara-duterte-says-ready-to-be-president-if-marcos-jr-resigns-1943">Sara Duterte says ‘ready’ to be President if Marcos Jr. resigns</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176898022666420260121-trillanes-plunder-case-sara-duterte-MT6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Former Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV and members of a civil society organization file a new set of plunder and graft complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte at the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, citing alleged malversation involving Php650 million in confidential funds and Php8 billion worth of allegedly overpriced laptops. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Trillanes said the complaints were based on sworn statements of Ramil Madriaga, Duterte’s former aide and founder of Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP Pilipinas), who alleged that he delivered large sums of cash from Duterte’s confidential funds to various individuals under her instructions.</p><p>Madriaga is detained since 2023 over a kidnapping case pending with Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 21.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/14/-go-beyond-confidential-funds-analyst-weighs-in-on-plunder-raps-vs-vp-sara-1427">‘Go beyond confidential funds’: Analyst weighs in on plunder raps vs VP Sara</a></div><p>The complainants also accused Duterte of bribery, asserting she received money from a drug lord on several occasions during her term as Davao City mayor, based on Madriaga’s earlier claim that ISIP Pilipinas was funded by proceeds from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) and drug dealers.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;UNHINGED STATE OF MIND&#x27;</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17689731241169750981ff734d4d4996bb162c98d2590a697834df64ca4bd7f2155a4320426c3.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">In a streamed conference in November 2024, Vice President Sara Duterte says she has contracted an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should a plot against her succeed.Sara Duterte/Facebook/screengrab</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The complaint also pointed to Duterte’s controversial remarks about an alleged assassin supposedly contracted to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and the former House Speaker if she were killed, as evidence of what it described as her “disturbed, deranged, and unhinged” state of mind.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/26/sara-duterte-s-kill-threat-may-be-basis-for-impeachment-lawmakers-say-1941">Sara Duterte’s &#x27;kill threat&#x27; against Marcoses may be basis for impeachment, lawmakers say</a></div><p>It added that Duterte&#x27;s &quot;adamant refusal&quot; to answer questions during House budget hearings, should be grounds for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.</p><p>The complainants urged the Ombudsman to investigate the Vice President for possible criminal prosecution and to recommend the initiation of impeachment proceedings in Congress. </p><p>“Kailangan mabahala yung mga kababayan natin dito. Hindi lang ito sabi-sabi. Hindi ito paninira. Kasi kung paninira, hanggang dyan lang yan sa Facebook. Ito, dinala namin sa Ombudsman,” Trillanes said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/13/-plunder-raps-vs-vp-duterte-can-be-used-for-fresh-impeachment-complaint-in-2026-1605">Plunder raps vs VP Duterte can be used for fresh impeachment complaint in 2026 – De Lima, group</a></div><p>In October 2025, Trillanes also filed plunder complaints against the Vice President, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Sen. Bong Go over their alleged involvement in the diversion of billions of pesos in government funds for infrastructure projects in Davao.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bW-4WAEKQ4o?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DDDV5QoTa9g?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The complaint cited alleged anomalies during Duterte's tenure as DepEd secretary and Davao City mayor.</p>

The complaint cited alleged anomalies during Duterte's tenure as DepEd secretary and Davao City mayor.

VP Sara Duterte faces plunder, graft raps at Ombudsman

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VP Sara Duterte faces plunder, graft raps at Ombudsman

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 21, 2026 11:44 AM PHT

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Updated Jan 21, 2026 03:24 PM PHT

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