Vice President Sara Duterte has decided not to attend the ongoing House panel deliberations on the budget utilization of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), following the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a letter addressed to House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chairperson Rep. Joel Chua, Duterte urged the termination of the inquiry, citing several reasons. She argued that legislative inquiries should focus on crafting laws and be guided by a proposed bill, as per the Constitution. Duterte emphasized that these inquiries should not be adversarial or prosecutorial in nature and that individuals have the right to refuse participation in the legislative process.
She further claimed that the investigation was rooted in "unsubstantiated allegations" made by Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano, who questioned the OVP's budget use in his privilege speech titled "Asserting the Power of the Purse of Congress." Valeriano's speech referenced the OVP's budgets for 2023, 2024, and 2025 in the National Capital Region, and criticized the Vice President for her alleged inefficient use of funds and refusal to address lawmakers' inquiries.
Duterte insisted that if a formal inquiry is necessary, a draft house bill should be presented to ensure that the discussions remain relevant to the issue at hand. She also stated that ongoing cases before the Supreme Court should not be discussed by the House, noting that the OVP has been cooperating with the COA according to its Rules of Procedure.
In response to the allegations during her appearance at the first hearing on September 18, Duterte categorically denied any misuse of public funds. "There is no misuse of funds. If there are audit findings, we will gladly respond to them before the Commission on Audit. And if there are legitimate cases to be filed, then we will gladly respond to them before the appropriate courts in relation to this," she said.
The House panel received Duterte's letter on September 25, the same day as the second public hearing on the matter. GMA News Online has reached out to Rep. Valeriano for his comment but has not yet received a response.
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