Malacañang on Monday said the Office of the Ombudsman should determine whether Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio should face criminal charges over the alleged misuse of confidential funds, following reports that evidence from her impeachment trial would be submitted to the anti-graft body.

"If the Ombudsman finds evidence, sufficient evidence for those who should be held accountable to be held liable, then a person cannot simply escape accountability," Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told reporters during a press briefing.

"Let us allow the Office of the Ombudsman to fulfill its mandate and see what the results of its investigation will be," she added.

Prosecutors in the impeachment proceedings have reportedly said they would turn over evidence gathered during the trial to the Ombudsman for possible criminal proceedings against Ms. Duterte. Such a handoff would carry the accountability question beyond Congress's impeachment process and into the criminal justice system, where any decision to file charges would rest with the Ombudsman. How the matter proceeds hinges on whether the anti-graft body takes up the evidence referred to it.

Ms. Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo R. Duterte, has served as vice-president since June 2022. The alleged misuse of confidential funds was among the issues raised in the impeachment complaint filed against her by the House of Representatives in February 2025. The Office of the Ombudsman is an independent body created under the 1987 Constitution to investigate and prosecute government officials accused of wrongdoing.

Separately, the Palace was also asked about a proposal by Party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon to investigate possible links between alleged Chinese propagandists and supporters of Ms. Duterte.

Ms. Castro said Congress could exercise its investigative powers as long as these were in line with its legislative mandate.

"The President cannot prevent Congress from doing so because that is the mandate of Congress," she said.

She added that any such investigation should serve the national interest and help lawmakers craft legislation that protects the Philippines' rights Under the 1987 Constitution, either chamber of Congress or its committees may conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, a power separate from the Ombudsman's prosecutorial mandate, and it remains to be seen whether the proposal advances to an actual inquiry.

Source: BusinessWorld, with a report from Pexcel John Bacon.