Ex-OVP aide slams NBI obstruction charge recommendation

DAVAO CITY — A former official at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Wednesday denounced the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for recommending charges against her regarding accusations by dismissed policeman Rodolfo Gracioso Jr. about cash deliveries to the Dutertes.

“I denounce the NBI’s recommendation to file charges against me before the Department of Justice (DOJ). This is harassment, plain and simple,” Jeffrey Tupas said in a statement.

Tupas, who once led the OVP’s Media and Public Relations Division, was accused by Gracioso of having received several cash deliveries on behalf of Vice President Sara Duterte.

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READ: NBI recommends obstruction of justice raps vs Jefry Tupas

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Earlier, the NBI had recommended filing charges of obstruction of justice, cyberlibel, and publication of false news against Tupas.

Tupas said she already submitted evidence that belied Gracioso’s claims. Gracioso is a former security aide of House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, a close ally of the Dutertes.

“I already submitted evidence including airline ticket bookings, passport photos with stamps, and Facebook posts that exposes the lies of Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.  Now, the NBI intends to file charges against me?” Tupas added.

“Kailangan nating itanong kung anong klaseng imbestigasyon ba ang ginawa ng NBI sa pamumuno ni Director Melvin Matibag sa isyung ito. Lumalabas kasi na mas mabigat para sa NBI ang mga alegasyon ni Gracioso, kahit wala naman siyang naipakitang ebidensyang magpapatunay na nag-abot nga siya sa akin ng mga maleta na naglalaman umano ng pera,” her statement added.

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(We should ask what kind of investigation the NBI under Director Melvin Matibag conducted on this issue. It appears the NBI is placing more weight on Graciano’s allegations, despite being unable to present evidence showing he handed me suitcases allegedly with money).

The NBI issued a subpoena to Tupas in September to shed light on Gracioso’s “cash delivery” allegations, but she only sent a lawyer to submit a counter-affidavit.

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READ: Ex-Davao City information exec denies Gracioso’s suitcase claim

Tupas then alleged that the bureau “initiated efforts” to bring her to Manila after agents who went to her house supposedly offered security, as they had received a “verifiable threat” that the Dutertes would abduct her.

“I also wish to refute Matibag’s claim that the information regarding a threat to my security originated from me. This assertion is illogical, given that it was the NBI—led by Special Assistant for Mindanao Concerns Voltaire Rovira—that personally visited our home in North Cotabato on the morning of September 29, 2026,” she said.

Tupas said if the information indeed came from him. He should be the one who will lodge the complaint and seek protection. But according to him, the NBI instead dispatched and sent agents to his residence.

“Hindi rin totoo ang kwento ni Matibag na ako ang humiling ng subpoena sa kanila. Sa aking pakikipag-usap sa kanya sa telepono, sa harap mismo ni Atty. Rendel Mangliwan, humiling ako ng formal invitation para sa alok ng NBI na ipasailalim ako sa protective custody,” she added.

READ: Matibag: It was Tupas who brought out threats to his life, not NBI

(Matibag’s statement that I asked for a subpoena from them is not true. When I talked to him by phone infront of Atty. Rendel Mangliwan, I sought a formal invitation from the NBI offering that I undergo protective custody).

According to Tupas, instead of an invitation letter, the NBI sent her on Sept. 29 a subpoena dated September 28, or a day before NBI agents arrived at her residence.

“Overall, the narrative being pushed by the NBI is questionable, and its true motive is likewise suspect—especially in light of its recommendation that charges be filed against me with the DOJ,” she said.

“Now that he has publicly identified me as a witness, the apprehension over Matibag’s invitation for a meeting in Manila and the offer for protective custody becomes completely justified. It is now glaringly obvious that these were not genuine gestures for my safety, but rather deceptive maneuvers to trap me and force me into becoming a false witness,” she added.

“It is clear to me, and probably to everyone else who can read between the lines, that I am being harassed, intimidated, and pressured to turn against Vice President Sara Duterte and testify against her in a plunder case related to the Gracioso allegations (as shown in the September 28, 2026 subpoena delivered to my house),” Tupas pointed out.

“The Gracioso allegations are completely fabricated, and I have presented concrete evidence to prove that they are outright lies,” Tupas stressed. “The NBI can file all the trumped-up charges they want against me, but I will never allow myself to be used as a witness for a case built on lies.”

“I am not a liar, and I will never allow myself to be used to take sides,” Tupas said.

Tupas served as Davao City chief information officer from July 1, 2016 to November 8, 2021, under then Mayor Sara Duterte. She resigned after she was among those caught in a drug raid at a beach resort in Mabini, Davao de Oro, on November 6, 2021, although she was allegedly allowed to slip away.

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From June 30, 2022, Tupas served in the OVP until her resignation on October 15 last year./coa