Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILABULLETIN)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has denied the allegation that the House quad-committee (quad-comm) is going after Vice President Sara Duterte. 

"Wala namang ganung usapan at wala namang ganun (There is no discussion about that and there's no such thing)," Barbers, overall chairman of the quad-comm, told House reporters in a virtual interview Friday, Oct. 18. 

Earlier in the day, Vice President Duterte insinuated in a press conference that she was going to be included in the hearings of the quad-comm. 

Asked point-blank if the lady official was being "targeted" by the special four-way panel, Barbers said: "Hindi. Wala, hindi ko alam saan galing yan (No. No such thing, I don't know where that came from)." 

Vice President Duterte is currently under fire for alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in connection with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and in her erstwhile position was Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. 

Barbers says the CIF issue in connection with the Vice President is under the ambit of House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, not the quad-comm. 

Chaired by Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, the good government panel held a hearing Thursday, Oct. 17. Vice President Duterte held a presser Friday morning partly to respond to matters raised during the hearing. 

The Mindanao lawmaker says the quad-comm is looking into the alleged interconnected issues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), extrajudicial killings (EJKs), money laundering, and the previous Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs. 

The mega-panel is penciled to hold its next hearing on Oct. 22.