House panel invites VP Sara anew to budget use inquiry 

The House good government and public accountability committee has invited Vice President Sara Duterte to its November 20 inquiry on the budget use of her office as well as that of the Department of Education during her tenure as its secretary.

The Vice President personally received the invitation at the sidelines of the House QuadComm investigation on the drug war deaths during the administration of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

She affixed her signature on the same document when she received it.

The Vice President showed up before the QuadComm while her father was answering queries on the drug war fielded by lawmakers.

“The Committee requests your attendance on November 20, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. in the People's Center at the House of Representatives, Quezon City. Your presence is necessary to provide clarifications on the Office of the Vice President's budget utilization from your assumption of office in 2022 up to present, including questions on the projects/programs and/or beneficiaries of said projects/programs of your honorable office, regular and confidential funds, and other related matters,” the committee's letter to the Vice President read.

“As this is a legislative inquiry, we request that all communications, including any reason/s for non-attendance, be submitted in written form for documentation purposes. Please confirm your attendance to ensure proper arrangements for your participation,” it added.

Likewise, the House panel also called on the Vice President to confirm her attendance to ensure proper arrangements for her participation.

The same House panel earlier cited four Office of the Vice President officials in contempt over failure to show up in the congressional inquiry. 

The ongoing House panel probe earlier revealed the receipts on the use of confidential funds under the younger Duterte’s watch had wrong dates and unnamed signatories, among other inconsistencies.

The Vice President showed up once before the committee's inquiry and accused the lawmakers that it was being done as a test case for an impeachment case against her,  not in aid of legislation.—LDF, GMA Integrated News