Tupas says NBI used 'deceptive maneuvers' to make her a witness against VP Duterte

Former Davao City information officer Jefry M. Tupas has accused the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of trying to pressure her into testifying against Vice President Sara Duterte, Edge Davao reported. She made the claim after the bureau recommended criminal charges against her.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said on October 26 that the bureau had completed an investigation report recommending charges of obstruction of justice, cyberlibel and publication of false news against Tupas. The report has been endorsed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for appropriate action. No charges had been filed as of the report.

The case stems from claims by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. He alleged that he delivered suitcases of money to members of the Duterte family, supposedly on the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. He also alleged that Tupas received cash on the Vice President's behalf.

Tupas has denied the allegations. She said she gave the NBI airline ticket bookings, stamped passport pages and Facebook posts to disprove Gracioso's account. She questioned why the bureau appeared to give more weight to his claims when, she said, he had shown no evidence that he handed her any suitcases of money.

In a statement, Tupas said Matibag's earlier invitation to meet in Manila and his offer of protective custody were not genuine concerns for her safety. She called them "deceptive maneuvers to trap me and force me into becoming a false witness."

She also disputed Matibag's account of how the NBI became involved in her security. According to Tupas, NBI agents led by Special Assistant for Mindanao Concerns Voltaire Rovira went to her family's home in North Cotabato on the morning of September 29, 2026. She said she never requested protection. Instead, she said she had asked Matibag for a formal invitation about the custody offer during a phone call witnessed by lawyer Rendel Mangliwan.

Tupas said the document delivered to her home that afternoon was a subpoena dated September 28, a day before the agents arrived. She denied requesting it. She said the subpoena showed she was being pressured to testify against the Vice President in a plunder case linked to Gracioso's allegations.

Tupas called the allegations fabricated and said the NBI could pursue charges against her, "but I will never allow myself to be used as a witness for a case built on lies."

The source report did not include a response from the NBI to Tupas's latest statements.