 📷: Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and members of The Silent Majority swear to the complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Ombudsman. (Sonny Trillanes | X)
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the civil society group The Silent Majority filed plunder, malversation, and graft complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday. The 41-page complaint alleges irregularities during Duterte’s tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary and Davao City mayor.
The complaint cites ₱650 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and DepEd in 2023, ₱8 billion in allegedly overpriced laptops under the DepEd Computerization Program, ₱12.3 billion in disallowances, and ₱7 billion in unliquidated cash advances.
It also references Commission on Audit reports showing Davao City used over ₱2.735 billion in confidential funds between 2010 and 2022 under Duterte’s leadership.
Trillanes said the case is based on sworn statements from Ramil Madriaga, Duterte’s former aide and founder of Inday Sara Duterte Is My President (ISIP Pilipinas), who claimed he delivered large sums of confidential funds to individuals on Duterte’s orders.
Madriaga, currently detained on a kidnapping charge, also alleged that ISIP Pilipinas was funded by Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) and drug dealers.
The complainants further accused Duterte of bribery, asserting she received money from a drug lord while serving as Davao mayor.
They also cited her controversial remarks about an alleged assassin contracted to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and a former House Speaker if she were killed, describing this as evidence of a “disturbed, deranged, and unhinged” state of mind.
The complaint argues that Duterte’s refusal to answer questions during House budget hearings constitutes culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust. The group urged the Ombudsman to investigate Duterte for possible criminal prosecution and recommend impeachment proceedings in Congress.
Trillanes emphasized, “Kailangan mabahala yung mga kababayan natin dito. Hindi lang ito sabi-sabi. Hindi ito paninira. Kasi kung paninira, hanggang dyan lang yan sa Facebook. Ito, dinala namin sa Ombudsman.”
In October 2025, Trillanes also filed plunder complaints against Duterte, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Senator Bong Go over alleged diversion of billions in government funds for infrastructure projects in Davao. (ZIA LUNA)
