The Office of the Ombudsman confirmed that the plunder complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte remain under fact-finding review, with no formal investigation initiated at this stage.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano explained in a recent television interview that investigators are still evaluating evidence to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to proceed.
“In this stage, the teams that are assigned to the complaints are tasked to verify the allegations in the complaint and they are meant to substantiate the gaps, if ever there are any,” he said.
Clavano emphasized that investigative teams are allowed to independently handle the review process.
“The Ombudsman does not micromanage the teams, just as in any case. The way he explained it yesterday is that this case is one amongst many,” he added.
He noted that multiple complaints involving similar allegations are being assessed collectively due to overlapping facts and issues.
“We look at all of these in conjunction with each other because they all have somehow related facts and the issues are quite intertwined,” Clavano stated.
“So it’s a bit of a complex situation and not to mention the political atmosphere and the political complexities that come along with it.”
The fact-finding phase is generally allotted 90 days, followed by 30 days for preliminary investigation, though extensions may be granted for complex cases.
The complaints stem from allegations of misuse of confidential funds linked to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and during Duterte’s tenure at the Department of Education (DepEd).
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, along with a civil society group, filed plunder and graft complaints in January, while a separate plunder complaint was lodged in December 2025.