HOUSE Speaker Martin Romualdez has denied impeachment rumors against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
"Nothing filed, no news of that,” Romualdez said in a chance interview with reporters in Los Angeles, USA.
"I don't know, I don't know your sources but there's nothing in the offing, nothing in general," he added.
Romualdez was with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during his official work visit to the US.
The issue cropped up after Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list lawmaker France Castro said that some congressmen and political leaders in the House of Representatives were talking about filing impeachment complaints against Duterte.
She later clarified that the discussions were “not a serious move” against Duterte.
The Housse earlier adopted a resolution upholding the integrity and honor of the chamber and expressing appreciation, solidarity and support for the leadership of Romualdez.
This came following the criticisms thrown by former President Rodrigo Duterte to the organization, which he tagged as the “most rotten.”
The older Duterte made the statement as he defended the request for confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which were both under his daughter.
Afterward, the House of Representatives removed former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab, both allies of the Dutertes, as deputy speakers.
The OVP is seeking P500 million in confidential funds while the Department of Education (DepEd) with P150 million.
The House of Representatives earlier stripped the DepEd and OVP of their confidential funds and reallocated the budget to government agencies responsible for securing the country’s territory in the West Philippine Sea amid China's continuous harassment.
As the budget deliberation reaches the Senate, Duterte has expressed disinterest in pursuing its request for confidential and intelligence funds allocation as “it seems to be divisive.”
Romualdez said he is hoping that his relationship with Duterte will improve after she decided to no longer push her CIF bid.
"As they always say, there will always be differences but we will always work towards resolving those differences for the service of the Filipino people, that’s our primordial concern," Romualdez said.
"I'm always...very, very hopeful,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)