ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro has issued a firm reminder to Ombudsman Samuel Martires, cautioning him that the public is closely monitoring how he handles the corruption complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement released Saturday, Castro expressed concern that Martires’ appointment by former President Rodrigo Duterte—Sara Duterte’s father—raises public suspicion over the integrity of the investigation. “We would just like to warn the Ombudsman that being a Duterte appointee, the people are extra vigilant in watching him as they fear that there may be a whitewash of the case even if the evidence are overwhelming,” Castro said.
The Office of the Ombudsman recently directed Vice President Duterte and nine other officials from the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education to submit counter-affidavits in response to charges recommended by a House committee report. These include technical malversation, falsification of documents, perjury, bribery, corruption, and plunder.
Despite her warnings, Castro acknowledged that the move to require a formal response from Duterte is a positive development. She stressed that both the impeachment and criminal proceedings must be pursued. “This need not be a case of choosing one over the other. Let the separate proceedings reach their logical conclusion, conviction,” she stated.
Castro is among the 215 lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint against Duterte, leading to the vice president’s formal impeachment in the House on February 5. The complaint cited constitutional violations, betrayal of public trust, and graft and corruption.
The Senate, which began the impeachment trial on June 10, temporarily halted the proceedings after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s motion to return the articles to the House for jurisdictional clarification was upheld by 18 senators.
