NBI probes alleged Duterte family properties; Pulong asks for proof

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National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Monday that the agency was investigating properties linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her family amid allegations by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. that he delivered cash to them.

“We’re investigating this because we are following the pattern established in the Gracioso affidavit. This means there is money involved, so where did the money go? It now appears that the money is being invested in land banking,” he said in Filipino.

Matibag said Gracioso’s affidavit pointed to a pattern of “land banking” among properties linked to the Velasco family, which the NBI was now examining in connection with the Dutertes.

“They engage in land banking. They buy land, build resorts, establish real estate companies and hotels, and develop luxury villages. This is the pattern we observed with the Velascos,” he said.

“And we are now looking into the same pattern based on the SALNs submitted by Vice President Sara Duterte doon sa real properties nila,” he added.

Gracioso had claimed that he delivered cash to Vice President Sara Duterte, Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte and former president Rodrigo Duterte on the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

Sara Duterte has denied the allegations against her.

Matibag said the NBI had identified 14 real properties listed in the vice president’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

“We asked our people on the ground to investigate. They will go directly to the locations and identify the properties that were flagged in the SALN,” he said.

Matibag cited agricultural land in Barangay Catigan that was allegedly declared at a value ranging from P437,000 to P450,000.

“There, this is one of the properties. It was declared as agricultural land. Its combined value is only around P900,000, but if you look at the resort, it is worth more than P900,000, and there is no declaration of improvements,” he said.

Matibag said the NBI would endorse the results of its investigation to the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman.

The NBI director also presented a property in Samal that was allegedly worth P1 million and supposedly owned by Paolo Duterte, also known as Pulong.

In a Facebook post, Paolo Duterte challenged Matibag to establish the facts and present evidence to support his allegations. He said he trusted that the NBI director knew the difference between a photograph and proof of ownership.

“The louder an allegation is repeated, the more important it becomes to establish whether it is true,” he said.

Paolo Duterte also said his father had raised questions about Matibag’s credibility. He added that the NBI director should show the same enthusiasm in investigating alleged ghost projects involving his wife.

“Director Matibag, I will not ask the public to take my word over yours. I am simply asking that you produce evidence and allow the facts to speak for themselves,” he said.

“If you have proof, present it. If you do not, the responsible course is to correct the record, not to mistake public office for a license to make accusations,” he added.— MCG, GMA News

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