By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement that impeachment is the “proper venue” to address allegations against her has drawn sharp criticism from leaders of the House of Representatives, who accused her of sidestepping accountability and consistently avoiding opportunities to clarify pressing concerns.
Duterte claimed over the weekend that impeachment would allow her to address accusations in a formal and rule-bound setting, calling it an “inconvenience” but acceptable.
However, House Assistant Majority Leaders Jay Khonghun (Zambales, 1st District) and Jude Acidre (Tingog Partylist) were quick to point out what they described as a pattern of evasion, citing Duterte’s refusal to take part in congressional hearings and a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V, meanwhile, questioned the sincerity of the Vice President’s statement.
Khonghun, who also chairs the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion, called Duterte’s remarks another example of what he described as “lip service” to accountability.
“Again, it’s another lip service ng ating Bise Presidente dahil nakikita naman natin na napakadaming pagkakataon na kailangan niyang magpaliwanag, hindi naman siya nagpapaliwanag,” Khonghun told a press conference.
“Ngayon ang sinasabi niya through impeachment ay makakapagpaliwanag siya. Pero nakikita naman natin, in-snub niya ang hearing sa Kongreso, in-snub niya ang hearing sa NBI, hindi siya nagpupunta, hindi nagpapakita,” he added. “So mahirap talaga magpaliwanag kung hindi mo alam kung paano mo ipapaliwanag ang iyong mga ginagawa. Sana malinawan ang kanyang pag-iisip.”
Acidre accused Duterte of portraying herself as untouchable and placing herself above mechanisms of accountability.
“It seems like the Vice President has always made it a point that she is above the law. It seems like the law should apply to everyone except to herself,” Acidre said.
The chairman of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs urged Duterte to align her actions with her statements, emphasizing that public trust requires cooperation and transparency.
“Kung sinabi man ‘yan ng Pangalawang Pangulo, we welcome it in the spirit of Christmas, we look forward to it. Kung gugustuhin lang po ni VP Sara na sumagot sa impeachment, tungkulin po niya na sumagot. Sabi nga natin, public office is a public trust,” he pointed out.
“Hindi po depende sa amin kung kailangan naming sagutin ang mga katanungan ng bayan. Tungkulin po namin na sagutin ang aming mga pananagutan sa taong bayan,” he pointed out.
Ortega questioned Duterte’s sincerity, calling her impeachment remark a delaying tactic to avoid answering the public’s concerns.
“Tama po siya. Pero ang problema paano kung walang impeachment? Saan na naman po siya sasagot? Baka wala na naman. Siguro mas maganda po na gawa na lang, hindi po salita,” Ortega said.
Vice President Duterte is under fire for several controversies involving public funds and her leadership.
Two impeachment complaints have been filed against her, including allegations of misusing public funds and failing to defend the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget before Congress.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability is probing Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education during her tenure as Education secretary.
These funds were flagged for questionable disbursements and lack of proper documentation, but Duterte has repeatedly refused to address the allegations or respond to questions from lawmakers.
Adding to her woes, the NBI launched an investigation into Duterte’s threat to have President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez assassinated if she herself were to be killed.
Despite being subpoenaed twice, Duterte ignored the probe, forcing the NBI to resolve the case based solely on the available evidence.
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