Former Davao City information officer Jefry Tupas appealed to be spared from being drawn into the political controversy involving Vice President Sara Duterte and her family, saying she wants to live a quiet life as a private citizen.
“I am now a private citizen, and my only wish is to be spared from being used as a pawn, tool, or leverage in schemes to persecute Ms. Sara Z. Duterte and the Duterte family. I hope that I will be allowed to live a quiet and simple life away from the chaos of politics,” Tupas said in a statement dated October 1, 2026.
Tupas issued the statement after submitting her affidavit to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) through his lawyer, Atty. Toby Diokno, in Manila on October 1, 2026.
Her affidavit addresses allegations made by dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. concerning supposed cash deliveries involving members of the Duterte family.
Tupas strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as “farcical yet deeply outrageous” and insisting that they could be disproved by facts.
“My affidavit itself is strong enough to crush the untruths he shamelessly told, which were presented in a manner that insults basic human intelligence,” she said.
She also criticized Gracioso, saying: “Gracioso, brazen in his lies but weak in his ability to deceive, is an embarrassment to the institutions he claims to represent with pride the Philippine National Police and the Philippine government.”
Beyond the allegations, Tupas also addressed the NBI’s disclosure of a supposed threat that he would be abducted, allegedly by the Dutertes.
She said NBI personnel approached him early on September 29 and offered security for him and his family after informing him that the bureau had received what it described as a “verifiable threat.” Tupas said they declined the offer.
“I am also issuing this statement to publicly address the alleged threat that the Dutertes will have me abducted. This is a claim that is simply unbelievable. I am confident that the Dutertes have no reason to cause me any harm,” she said.
Despite her confidence that the Duterte family would not harm her, Tupas said the information relayed by the NBI had raised concerns about the safety of her family.
“However, this information is deeply concerning, and I believe it places my safety, and that of my family, in grave danger not from the Dutertes, but from other parties,” she said.
Tupas claimed that unidentified and suspicious individuals had been seen around her family’s homes and workplaces. She said the incidents were being documented on the advice of her lawyers.
“In fact, what I considered a threat to my security ironically disguised itself as an offer to bring me to Manila for protection,” she said.
Tupas said NBI Director Melvin Matibag personally informed her of the alleged threat and proposed security arrangements during a phone conversation, during which the director requested that she meet with him in Manila.
“I explicitly requested that the NBI send me a formal invitation instead,” Tupas said.
She said the bureau subsequently issued a subpoena ad testificandum dated September 28, 2026, directing him to appear before Matibag on October 1, 2026 to provide information relevant to an ongoing investigation.
According to Tupas, the subpoena cited alleged violations of Republic Act No. 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Act; Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; and Republic Act No. 9160, or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.
Tupas said her priority is to protect her family and distance herself from the political dispute.
