The House of Representatives on Friday clarified that it did not initiate any formal complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Vice President Sara Duterte, following reports that the anti-graft body had ordered Duterte and several other officials to respond to charges related to corruption.
“We have not received a copy of the said order to file a counter-affidavit. Me, personally, I’ve learned about it through the reports, and I’ve seen it on social media,” House spokesperson lawyer Princess Abante said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“What I know is that the House or the Committee (on Good Government and Public Accountability) itself did not file any complaint, but it appears that the Ombudsman acted upon the recommendation of the committee,” she added.
The Ombudsman’s move came after the House adopted the findings and recommendations of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) while Duterte was Secretary.
“The plenary adopted the report of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on June 10. And the committee report was furnished to the Ombudsman… they received it on June 16,” Abante said.
“So, it appears that the Ombudsman acted upon the recommendation of the committee,” she added.
The spokesperson also explained that the Ombudsman has the power to act on its own: “The action of the Ombudsman was upon the recommendation of a committee report from the House of Representatives.”
