Dalipe: Duterte allies weaponizing Ombudsman, targeting House leaders
REP. MANNIX DALIPE / SAVED JANUARY 30, 2024
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe
Photo from House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — Allies of former chief executive Rodrigo Duterte are “trying to weaponize” the Office of the Ombudsman to fight back against the House of Representatives leaders and members following their decision to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said this after Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez and others filed a motion with the Ombudsman seeking his suspension, along with Speaker Martin Romualdez, former House appropriations committee chairperson and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co; and acting appropriations committee chair Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo.
READ: Duterte allies seek suspension of 4 House leaders before Ombudsman
Alvarez, along with lawyer Ferdie Topacio and others lodged the motion on the basis of an earlier complaint they filed against the four House leaders over the alleged P241 billion worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.
“Alvarez’s suspension call is a desperate attempt to weaponize the Ombudsman for political retaliation because the House remains steadfast in upholding transparency and accountability, regardless of political affiliations,” Dalipe said in a statemen on Thursday.
Article continues after this advertisement“We trust that the Ombudsman will not allow itself to be used as a tool for political games and will dismiss this baseless request for preventive suspension. Speaker Romualdez and the House leadership will continue working for the people, unshaken by these desperate political maneuvers,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementDalipe likewise called the moves against them a “tactic to divert attention away from the impeachment” of the vice president.
“Clearly, they are using this complaint as a diversionary tactic to shift public attention away from the real issue—the impeachment case against the Vice President and the accountability questions she must answer,” he said.
Similar to his earlier sentiments, Dalipe questioned the timing of Alvarez and others’ motion, which he said “meant to pressure the House and create a false narrative that undermines the integrity of its leadership.”
“However, we will not be intimidated by these tactics. The House remains focused on serving the Filipino people, ensuring government funds are used properly, and holding public officials accountable, regardless of political connections,” the House leader stressed.
“Let’s be clear: the General Appropriations Bill is a product of rigorous, transparent, and lawful deliberations. The allegations of ‘insertions’ are misleading and baseless, designed to discredit Speaker Romualdez and the House leadership for purely political ends. If there are genuine concerns, they should be addressed within the proper legislative processes, not through political harassment,” he maintained.
Last February 10, Duterte allies filed two counts of falsification of legislative documents and 12 counts of graft against Romualdez, Dalipe, Co, and Quimbo.
Two others were referred to as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” in the complaint sheet. They also face the same complaints for alleged violation of Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In explaining the grounds of the complaints, Topacio said the alleged “insertions” in the national budget reportedly occurred 12 times. He further said that they based the complaints on the bicameral report.
