Civil society and church leaders filed a 58-page plunder complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte and 14 of her staff with the Ombudsman on December 12, 2025. They accused them of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds from 2022 to 2023. Duterte rejected the allegations as a 'fishing expedition' aimed at covering up other corruption.
On December 12, 2025, representatives from civil society groups, clergy, and advocacy organizations filed a 58-page criminal complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against Vice President Sara Duterte and 14 former and current officials of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd). The complaint accuses them of plunder, bribery, malversation, graft, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged systematic misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds in 2022 and 2023.
Records indicate Duterte received P500 million in confidential funds for the OVP and P112.5 million for DepEd while serving concurrently as vice president and education secretary. The respondents are accused of employing a 'coordinated, deliberate system' to divert, mishandle, and conceal the funds, leading to ill-gotten wealth exceeding the P50 million threshold for plunder. The schemes allegedly bypassed audit scrutiny and funneled money to questionable or nonexistent recipients.
Key complainants include Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee; Fr. Roberto Reyes, activist priest; Teresita Quintos-Deles, former presidential peace adviser; Sylvia Estrada Claudio, UP professor emerita; Cielo Magno, former Finance undersecretary; and others such as Christopher Cabahug, Matthew Christian Silverio, and John Lloyd Crisostomo.
The respondents comprise Zuleika Lopez, OVP Chief of Staff; Lemuel Ortonio, OVP Assistant Chief of Staff; Rosalynne Sanchez, OVP Director for Administrative and Financial Services; and other OVP and DepEd officials including Julieta Villadelrey, Gina Acosta, and Michael Poa.
On December 13, 2025, Duterte responded via a social media statement, dismissing the accusations as a 'fishing expedition' to justify an investigation and cover up corruption. 'I urge our fellow citizens to be discerning and not to be easily swayed by attacks or slanders. This is not about seeking the truth—it is about covering up the theft from the national treasury for which no one has been held accountable to this day,' she said. She linked the filing to prior House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability inquiries, which she called politically motivated, tied to her earlier impeachment over confidential funds issues.
