MANILA – The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office have dismissed the complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and others in relation to the hospital transfer of her aide last year.
In a 13-page resolution, the QC Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) recommended the dismissal of the complaint against Duterte-Carpio, Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) head Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica, and others for failure to sustain a finding of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.
“The quantum of evidence was not reached because the evidence at hand, vis-a-vis the defenses raised are insufficient to establish all the element of crimes charged, and to warrant a conviction beyond reasonable doubt,” it said.
Duterte-Carpio and others were slapped with direct assault, disobedience to authority, and grave coercion charges in relation to the alleged “forced transfer” of Zuleika Lopez, the chief of staff for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), to a private medical facility.
According to police reports, videos indicated that Lachica, who led Duterte’s security team, physically assaulted Dr. Van Jason Villamor of the PNP Health Service during the incident that occurred on November 23, 2024.
According to the OCP, however, Duterte-Carpio and Lachica did not attack, employ material force, seriously intimidate or seriously resist Villamor.
“The acts of placing a hand over the chest, pushing, and shoving do not constitute an attack of physical force. To be considered as direct assault, the laying of hands or the use of physical force must be serious,” it said. “The force exerted must be more severe than just slapping and punching. This is not the case here.”
Aside from this, the OCP said Duterte-Carpio and Lachica telling the police to back off does not amount to serious intimidation or serious resistance./PN
