Ex-Sara aide skips NBI appearance, denies Gracioso cash claims

MANILA, Philippines — A former aide of Vice President Sara Duterte did not personally appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after being subpoenaed over allegations that he received cash on her behalf, but submitted a sworn statement denying the claims.

The NBI had ordered Jefry "Jepoy" Tupas, a former Davao City information officer who later worked at the Office of the Vice President, to appear at 10 a.m. on October 1 as part of its investigation into alleged plunder, graft and money laundering.

Tupas' lawyer Toby Diokno told Philstar.com that his client did not appear in person.

"I submitted his sinumpaang salaysay for him," Diokno said in a message.

Tupas' affidavit addresses allegations by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., who claimed that he delivered suitcases containing large amounts of cash to Duterte and other individuals on the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

The Philippine National Police has confirmed that Gracioso had been detailed as a member of Velasco's security team, but his cash delivery allegations remain under investigation.

In his affidavit obtained by Philstar.com, Tupas denied Gracioso's allegations and said he wanted to be left out of what he described as politically motivated claims.

"Gaya ng sinabi ko na, isa na akong pribadong tao at wala na akong katungkulan na kahit ano sa gobyerno. Dahil dito, gusto ko na nang tahimik na buhay at sana naman ay hindi na ako idadawit muli sa mga gawa-gawang kwento lalo na sa mga kwento na ang lantarang pakay ay paninirang-puri lamang kalakip ng bangayan sa politika," Tupas said.

("As I have already said, I am now a private citizen and no longer hold any government position. Because of this, I just want a quiet life, and I hope I will no longer be dragged into fabricated stories, especially those whose clear purpose is character assassination tied to political infighting.")

Gracioso's sworn statement identified a "Jepoy" or "Jepoi," whom Tupas said he believed referred to him, as a trusted aide of Duterte when she was mayor of Davao City.

According to Gracioso, his first encounter with Tupas occurred around 2018, when he fetched Duterte from a private hangar in Pasay and drove her to the Diamond Hotel. Gracioso alleged that Duterte accepted a bag of chocolates but instructed him to hand a suitcase containing P20 million to Tupas.

Gracioso claimed that similar deliveries occurred between 2018 and 2020, with suitcases allegedly containing P10 million to P20 million handed either to Duterte or to Tupas when he accompanied her.

He also alleged that before the 2019 midterm elections, he delivered vehicles to Davao for Duterte, including vans he claimed contained cash and gifts, and was instructed to leave the vehicles with Tupas.

In another account, Gracioso alleged that during an April 2019 trip to Marinduque, Duterte directed him to turn over two large suitcases containing P50 million each, or P100 million in total, to Tupas.

Gracioso further claimed that on September 21, 2019, he delivered two more suitcases containing P50 million each to the Diamond Hotel and that Duterte instructed him to hand them to Tupas.

He also alleged making another cash delivery to Duterte and Tupas in Busay, Cebu, during the summer of 2020.

Gracioso's affidavit cited further alleged deliveries in 2021, including an incident in a house at Valle Verde 2 and another involving more than P200 million allegedly transported in two Toyota Grandia vans to the Diamond Hotel.

These allegations were all denied by Tupas.

He said he did not receive money, gifts or vehicles for Duterte. He also sought to rebut several of Gracioso's claims by citing travel records and other documents.

On Gracioso's allegation involving two P50-million suitcases in Marinduque in April 2019, Tupas said he had never been to the province and submitted passport records, airline documents and social media posts that he said showed he was in South Korea at the time. Public reports on his affidavit say he left the Philippines on April 18 and returned on April 22.

Tupas also disputed the alleged September 21, 2019 delivery at the Diamond Hotel, saying he was in Japan during the period cited by Gracioso. He submitted travel records and social media posts in support of his account.

He also rejected Gracioso's account of a cash delivery in Busay, Cebu, during the summer of 2020, pointing to travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Tupas cited an executive order issued by then-Davao City Mayor Duterte suspending domestic air travel to and from Davao City beginning in March 2020.

Tupas also questioned the physical plausibility of Gracioso's account that he carried two suitcases allegedly containing P50 million each.

"Ako ay payat at maliit na tao at, dahil nga isa akong 'openly gay person' o halatang bakla, ang kadalasan kong suot na sapatos ay heels. Kaya, sa totoo lang, siguro ay makakadapa-dapa ako kung susubukan kong magbuhat ng dalawang maleta na puno, diumano, ng 50 Million Pesos bawat isa," Tupas said.

("I am thin and small, and as an openly gay person, I often wear heels. So, honestly, I would probably stumble if I tried to carry two suitcases allegedly containing P50 million each.")

Tupas further said he does not personally know Gracioso and denied ever visiting Velasco's residence in Valle Verde. Other accounts of his affidavit, however, differ on whether Tupas said he did not know Gracioso at all or merely did not recall him as part of Duterte's close-in security.

The NBI is continuing to verify Gracioso's allegations and has said it intends to seek the side of other individuals named in his affidavit.

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