LAWMAKERS from the House of Representatives denied on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the claim of Vice President Sara Duterte that there were efforts to file an impeachment complaint against her.
In a statement, House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin and 1-Rider party-list representative Rodge Gutierrez said the move to subpoena the Commission on Audit (COA) reports on the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President was made to ensure that it is being used properly.
“The motion (to subpoena COA findings during a budget deliberation) came from Honorable France Castro, and I understand that the goal is to prove that the allocation of confidential funds is made in proper context,” Garin said.
“The point made was there has to be safeguard on where confidential funds should be spent. Sa pananaw ko, hindi naman ‘yun (impeachment) ang intension… Ang intensyon ay para hindi na maulit, kung sakaling meron talagang misuse ng confidential funds (In my view, impeachment was not intended for that purpose… The intention is to prevent a recurrence, in case there is indeed misuse of confidential funds),” she added.
Castro is a staunch critic of the Dutertes, especially former President Rodrigo Duterte, the VP’s father.
Congress stripped the OVP, as well as the Department of Education, to which VP Duterte previously served as Secretary of the Department of Education, of P650 million in confidential funds under the proposed 2024 national budget.
VP Duterte previously served as Secretary of the Department of Education.
This came after it was found that the OVP spent P125 million worth of confidential funds in a span of just 11 days in 2022, despite it not being in the line budgeting of the agency.
The said funds are part of the P221.4 million released by the Office of the President (OP), under its contingent fund, to the OVP on December 13, 2022.
On Tuesday, Duterte despite their persistent denial, House lawmakers are continuously talking about her impeachment.
“Pinag-uusapan nila kahit na i-deny nila. Pinaguusapan ng members ng House of Representatives. Kasi meron pa naman kaming mga kaibigan diyan sa loob eh na hindi lang nagsasalita dahil takot daw sila. So sinasabi nila it's openly discussed ‘yung impeachment,” Duterte said, noting that House members wanted the public to perceive their family as corrupt, criminals, useless, and selfish.
(They’re talking about it, even if they deny it. The members of the House of Representatives are discussing it. We still have friends inside who aren’t speaking out because they say they’re afraid. So they’re saying that impeachment is openly discussed.)
“Sinabi ko na dati, we are a threat to the perpetuation in power of people na interesado maging, sabihin na nating, prime minister kung matuloy ‘yung niluluto nilang Cha-cha o president kung hindi maluto 'yung Cha-cha nila,” she added.
(I’ve said before that we are a threat to the continuation in power of those interested in becoming, let’s say, a prime minister if their charter change plans succeed, or president if their charter change fails.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)