MANILA — Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday denied allegations that she received millions of pesos in illegal cash deliveries and luxury gifts, describing the claims as fabricated political attacks orchestrated by the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Speaking at a livestreamed news conference from Davao City, Ms. Duterte rejected accusations contained in the sworn statement of Rodulfo M. Gracioso, Jr., a former security aide to former House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco, saying they were invented and motivated by money and personal grudges. Allegations from former aides have already featured prominently in House of Representatives impeachment hearings earlier this year, placing the latest denial squarely within an ongoing political standoff.

“I firmly deny the statements of Rodulfo Mondigo Gracioso, Jr. in his sworn statement and media interviews linking me to events I did not do, did not know about or did not personally experience,” she said, reading from her counter-affidavit.

The allegations

Mr. Gracioso has accused Ms. Duterte of receiving suitcases containing P10 million to P500 million in cash as well as luxury items — among them Hermès bags, Patek Philippe watches and vehicles — at various locations in Metro Manila, Subic, Cebu and Davao between 2018 and 2022.

At the briefing, the Vice-President presented travel records, photographs, flight logs and official documents that she said contradicted Mr. Gracioso's account. She said strict Presidential Security Group protocols governed her movements from July 2016 to June 2022, preventing unauthorized drivers or escorts from transporting her in vehicles such as the white van cited by Mr. Gracioso.

She also disputed allegations of cash deliveries to her Davao City residence, saying the house at the time had no receiving area because it had been built inside a former garage.

“This only means Gracioso never went to our house because he does not know what it looks like,” she said in Filipino.

Motorcycle and campaign-trail claims

Ms. Duterte likewise denied that motorcycle purchases for her 2019 Hugpong ng Pagbabago campaign caravan were financed with cash from Ramil L. Madriaga, a self-confessed former bagman and political aide whose allegations against the Vice-President figured prominently in House of Representatives impeachment hearings earlier this year. She presented official receipts showing that she bought her Yamaha XSR 900 motorcycle in Davao City in December 2017.

She also disputed allegations that she made campaign stops in Marinduque during Holy Week in 2019 and traveled to Cebu during coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, citing records she said showed she was in Davao.

Defense of former aide, attack on accuser's credibility

The Vice-President defended her former media chief, Jefry Tupas, whom Mr. Gracioso accused of receiving cash-filled suitcases on her behalf. She accused Mr. Gracioso of targeting Mr. Tupas with “discrimination and homophobia” and alleged that authorities had offered Mr. Tupas cash and real estate in North Cotabato in exchange for testimony against her.

Ms. Duterte also questioned Mr. Gracioso's credibility, citing Philippine National Police records that she said showed he had been dismissed from the police service on Sept. 11 following administrative cases and misconduct rulings by National Police Commission officials.

She presented text messages with Mr. Velasco that she said showed Mr. Gracioso had a personal dispute with the former Speaker over campaign funds for the Pusong Pinoy party-list.

“Whatever problem disagreement Lord and Gracioso had, I should not be dragged into their personal financial dispute,” she said in Filipino.

Palace response

Reiterating her accusation that the administration of Mr. Marcos was behind the allegations, which she described as part of a political campaign to damage her credibility ahead of potential impeachment proceedings, Ms. Duterte said in Filipino: “Who is behind this smear campaign against me? The administration. The Palace, BBM (Bongbong Marcos).”

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the Vice-President should present evidence to answer the allegations rather than blame the administration. The exchange lays bare the depth of the split between the country's two highest offices, with the Vice-President publicly accusing the Palace of a smear campaign and Malacañang pressing her to answer the allegations with evidence rather than counter-blame.

Ms. Duterte said she was willing to undergo a lie detector test if National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials first publicly released the full video and results of Mr. Gracioso's polygraph examination. She also urged the NBI to prosecute Mr. Gracioso for perjury after she submits her counter-affidavit, without saying when she would file it. When she files the counter-affidavit, whether the NBI releases the full polygraph video and results, and how authorities act on her perjury request are the next developments set to shape the dispute.

— Erika Mae P. Sinaking

Source: BusinessWorld Duterte denies cash delivery, luxury gift allegations