Congressman backs VP probe

THE Office of the Ombudsman’s move to open a corruption probe into Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio’s alleged misuse of public funds signals it found credible grounds in a House of Representatives report, a congressman said on Sunday.

The House public accountability panel, which last year investigated Ms. Duterte for alleged misuse of secret funds, plans on participating in the anti-graft body’s investigation, Manila Rep. Joel R. Chua, who heads the committee, said in a statement.

The Office of the Vice-President did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

“Since the Ombudsman has effectively treated our committee report as the initiating complaint, we are prepared to fulfill our role as the complainant and ensure the process is based on truth, fairness and accountability,” he said.

The anti-graft body last week ordered Ms. Duterte and other officials respond to plunder, corruption, technical malversation and bribery cases that the House public accountability panel recommended to be filed against the Vice-President.

The House committee based the recommendations on its four-month investigation into the P625 million worth of secret funds allegedly misused by Ms. Duterte.

“The Ombudsman acted purely on the strength of our committee report. We have not yet even attached or submitted the supporting evidence,” said Mr. Chua, adding that they will file pieces of evidence that could help bolster the case against the Vice-President. “We want to make sure this is not just a speedy process — but a credible one.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio