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A supporter hugs Vice President Sara Duterte after she posted bail at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Saturday, September 5, 2026, having earlier refused to enter the court over safety concerns. A Quezon City RTC issued an arrest warrant Friday against Duterte on three counts of grave threats after she claimed during a November 2024 press briefing that she had hired an assassin to kill President Marcos, the First Lady, and former Speaker Romualdez. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — The alleged cash deliveries by former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s security aide to the Duterte family is a “fabricated story,” former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said on Sunday.
Dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. reportedly claimed that he brought suitcases of cash for Vice President Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte following orders from Velasco, a former Marinduque congressman.
Panelo called the accusation black propaganda.
“The brains behind the ouster and disqualification of VP Sara in the 2028 presidential elections will stop at nothing in order to succeed in their devious plan of obliterating her from the political landscape and from the face of the earth,” he told ABS-CBN News in a message.
OMBUDSMAN URGED TO PROBE CLAIM
The House prosecution panel meanwhile said it wants the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the allegation and, if warranted, file charges against Duterte, spokesperson Ace Barbers said Sunday.
He said the allegation is relevant and deserves the same level of scrutiny as accusations made against the administration and its allies.
Barbers added that Gracioso’s claim that he served a former House speaker known as a Duterte ally made his allegation worthy of examination rather than outright dismissal.
The vice president has denied the allegation, saying she does not know Gracioso.
Meanwhile, Barbers denied prosecutors had anything to do with Gracioso or his claims.
Gracioso’s allegation was brought to light as the Senate impeachment court tackles the second article of impeachment, which alleged Duterte of amassing unexplained wealth, Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) violations, and failure to divest from business interests.
The prosecution spokesperson said the allegation may no longer be heard in the trial as the issues were already defined during the pre-trial conference and trial order.
The prosecution earlier said it wants Duterte to take the witness stand in her own impeachment trial.
In an earlier accusation, the vice president’s self-proclaimed bagman Ramil Madriaga said he was involved in the handling and delivery of confidential funds.
She has denied that allegation and filed a perjury complaint against. The rap was dismissed by Taguig prosecutors due to lack of evidence. — With a report from Marilyn Cahatol, ABS-CBN News
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