MANILA — The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte has condemned the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for allegedly utilizing state agencies to orchestrate political harassment.
This response came after National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag held successive press briefings highlighting supposed irregularities in the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
In an official statement released on Friday, October 16, Atty. Paolo Panelo, spokesperson for Duterte, characterized the NBI’s public disclosure of its investigation as a blatant instance of weaponizing public institutions against the second-highest official of the country.
“He aired the alleged NBI findings to the media without previously and specifically informing the Vice President of the charge, much less affording her an opportunity to respond,” Panelo stated.
Panelo also expressed strong reservations regarding the bureau’s decision to bypass formal notice to the Vice President and directly endorse the report to the Office of the Ombudsman, arguing that the maneuver was designed to block immediate scrutiny.
“Instead of doing so after the fact, he turned over the NBI’s report to the Office of the Ombudsman, most likely to avoid the immediate, informed, and thorough debunking she delivered when she was previously given the opportunity to answer Director Matibag’s earlier Rodulfo Gracioso project,” he added.
Labeling the developments as a “shameless smear campaign against the Vice President using public funds,” Panelo further pointed out what he called a clear conflict of interest involving NBI Director Matibag regarding his stance on Duterte.
Beyond procedural complaints, Panelo challenged the probative value and validity of the NBI dossier, pointing out its absence from the ongoing impeachment proceedings where SALN discrepancies form a core component of the charges.
“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?” Panelo questioned.
Reiterating her innocence, the Vice President’s camp insisted that all property listings and financial declarations were accomplished accurately and honestly.
“The Vice President maintains 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 asserted.
Panelo expressed strong confidence that their legal team will successfully debunk the accusations during the ongoing impeachment trial and, if required, formally defend the records before the Ombudsman.
“She is confident this will be proven in the impeachment trial, and if necessary, before the Ombudsman once given formal notice,” he concluded.