Palace: Politicking? Probe into Gracioso claims must push through

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The probe into the claims of former police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. must still continue despite accusations of politicking, according to a Palace official on Wednesday.

Vice President Sara Duterte slammed the accusations of Gracioso, an alleged ex-aide of former House speaker Lord Allan Velasco, saying that the former cop was paid off to make such claims.

“Kahit sabihin pa nila na ito ay pamumulitika at ‘yun naman ang kanilang tanging depensa, hindi dapat na matigil ang sinuman sa pag-iimbestiga patungkol sa issue na ito,” Undersecretary Claire Castro said during a press conference in Singapore.

(Even if it is said that this is politicking, and that is always their defense, no one should stop the investigation into this issue.)

Asked as to how credible Gracioso’s claims are, Castro said that whoever has the evidence is also the one with credibility. She also cited Ramil Madriaga, a former aide linked to Duterte, as an example.

Despite Duterte claiming that she did not know who Madriaga was, the former aide was able to show a video of the Vice President greeting him on his birthday.

Likewise, Castro said that Gracioso was able to show photographic proof that he has met with Duterte and Velasco.

“At ang pag-iimbestiga rin dito ay dapat na mas maging malalim, hindi para kung kanino man, kundi para ito sa taumbayan dahil ang pinag-uusapan dito ay pondo ng bayan,” Castro said.

(The investigation here needs to be deeper, not just for anyone, but for the people, because we are talking about public finds here.)

Gracioso claimed to have delivered around P2 billion to Duterte upon Velasco’s instruction. He also claimed to have bought Duterte gifts more than 20 times.

The Vice President said she does not know Gracioso Jr, and neither did she receive money from him.

The dismissed cop also claimed to have made deliveries to former president Rodrigo Duterte and to Davao representative Paolo Duterte.

The claim that suitcases containing cash were delivered to the Duterte family is a “fabricated story” to oust and disqualify Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 elections, former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

The camp of Velasco on Saturday issued a statement on what it called “fabricated attacks” against him, saying the allegations have “no basis.”

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