By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Refusing to take oath before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday (18 Sept 2024) accused lawmakers of plotting to impeach her using the budget hearing as a sort of smokescreen.
VP Duterte was accused at the hearing of a privilege speech by Manila Second District Representative Rolando Valeriano.
“Witnesses lang po ang ino-oath. Sabi ninyo sa amin ngayon, resource persons kami (You only administer an oath to witnesses. We are just resource persons),” the Vice President said.
Committee chair Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua retorted that “everyone is considered a resource person and witness.”
Former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo contended that the committee cannot trivialize the difference between a resource person and a witness.
“They’re not the same; the Supreme Court says they are not the same. Somebody who appears to be the accused has a different tier of protection from a witness, and, can refuse to take the witness stand,” Arroyo said.
The committee convened to discuss Valeriano’s privilege speech last September 3, where he asked OVP to show proof that the financial beneficiaries of their programs were true.
“Ang pagtanggi ni Vice President Sara Duterte na sagutin ang mga tanong tungkol sa kanyang panukalang budget at ang kwestyonable niyang paggastos sa mga nagdaang OVP budgets na sinita ng Commission on Audit (COA) ang mga dahilan kung bakit tayo narito ngayon,” Valeriano said.
“She expressly rejected any question about the OVP budget even before those questions were put forward,” he recalled.
But VP Sara, who asked to leave early, maintained that the lawmakers are planning to oust her through impeachment.
“Sa totoo lang, hindi naman ang budget ang punterya ninyo, dahil napakadali naman magtanggal ng budget. What you are trying to do is make a case for impeachment,” VP Duterte said.
ia/mnm
