Sara Duterte skips House panel probe on OVP's budget use anew

Vice President Sara Duterte has declined to attend again the continuing investigation of a House of Representatives panel into how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) used its budget, including confidential funds.

READ: Vice President Sara Duterte once again declines to attend the House probe on how their office used its budget, including confidential funds. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/29EP1Af0bu

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) November 20, 2024

In a letter addressed to House committee on good government and public accountability chairperson and Manila 3rd district Representative Joel Chua dated November 19, Duterte explained her refusal to attend the hearing anew, recalling that she was not asked a single question during the previous hearing on September 18.

She was referring to her attendance at the House panel inquiry, where she refused to take her oath before giving her testimony.

“In view of the foregoing, I would like to respectfully inform you that I will not be attending the hearing scheduled on 20 November 2024,” the letter read.

“In lieu of my attendance, I request that this letter be integrated and made part of the official records of the Committee,” she added.

On November 13, the House panel invited Duterte to its November 20 inquiry. She 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.

Duterte last Monday defended the OVP officials who also repeatedly failed to attend the House panel inquiry into her office’s budget use, saying they were in various satellite offices to attend the activities for the upcoming OVP anniversary.

The Vice President has repeatedly called on the House panel “to terminate [the] inquiry immediately” due to several reasons.

One of which, she pointed out, is that “the inquiry must only be in relation to legislation and should ideally have a proposed bill to guide the discussions therein,” citing a provision in the Constitution.

Duterte also said that a draft house bill should be presented, should there be a need for a formal inquiry, “to ensure that the discussions would be germane to the subject matter.”

“In fact, the invitation of the Committee itself lacks any clear legislative objective or contemplated legislation that is expected as an outcome of the deliberations,” she added.

Congressmen involved in the probe have raised questions related to state auditors' findings that the OVP’s use of confidential funds was accompanied by inconsistent acknowledgement receipts.

Duterte, in return, maintained that she did not misuse OVP funds and that the congressional inquiry is just a test case for impeachment.

— RSJ/ VAL GMA Integrated News