Ben Madilynn
THE Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte in relation to the heated confrontation between her camp and the police at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in November.
On November 27, 2024, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Van Jason Villamor filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office a complaint against Duterte; Colonel Raymund Lachica, head of the Vice President Security Protection Group; and two other John Does, over the alleged violation of Article 148 of the Revised Penal Code or direct assault, Article 151 of RPC or disobedience to authority, and Article 286 of the RPC or Grave Coercion.
The complaints stemmed from a commotion at the VMMC on November 23 which stemmed from the confusion in the hospitalization of Duterte’s chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, who was cited in contempt by the House committee on good government and public accountability amid its ongoing investigation on the alleged irregularities in the use of funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Citing security concerns after Duterte spent a night at the House of Representatives building to accompany Lopez, the panel has ordered her transfer to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, resulting in Lopez going hysterical and later falling ill, prompting her transfer to a hospital.
However, instead of being brought to VMMC as ordered by the House panel, Lopez, through a privately rented ambulance, was brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center, accompanied by Duterte.
In a video, Duterte was allegedly seen pushing Villamor, denying him to fulfill his duty to assist the transfer.
In a resolution dated January 17, 2025, the prosecution noted that the alleged commission of direct assault, disobedience to authority and grave coercion is not supported by evidence.
“Interestingly, not one of the witnesses of PLtCol Villamor corroborated his claims regarding the purported attack, employment of physical force, intimidation, resistance, disobedience, violence and threats. They did not narrate the encounter between the parties in their respective affidavits,” the resolution stated.
“They also did not discuss the behavior of PLtCol Villamor after the incident, which could have persuaded us that he was threatened and intimidated, if at all. The video footage submitted by him also negates his own assertions. Being so, we are constrained to dismiss the complaint for insufficiency of evidence,” it added.
The prosecution also noted that there is no denying that Duterte and the other respondents “did not attack, employ material force, seriously intimidate or seriously resist” Villamor. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
