From left to right: Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V, and Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Facebook)

Members of the House "Young Guns" bloc had a simple comeback to Vice President Sara Duterte's double challenge of taking a drug test and a psychological test: Testify under oath in the congressional inquiry. 

Assistant Majority Leaders La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V, Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, and Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong all shared this sentiment Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 22. 

In a chance interview earlier that day, Vice President Duterte dared the Young Guns and reelectionists in the upcoming May 2025 elections to take a drug test as well as a psychological test. 

"Una-una patong-patong na po, iba-ibang challenge na po (First of all, that's a lot of different challenges). Kasi mauna muna siguro mag-testify under oath (She should first testify under oath), that's the first challenge. Then we follow up with the other challenges," Ortega told House reporters on the sidelines of the quad-committee (quad-comm). 

"Answer the questions specifically from the Committee on Good Government," Ortega said, referring to the House panel that has been investigating the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) on the part of the second highest official of the land. 

Chaired by Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, the good government panel is the House of Representatives' equivalent to the vaunted Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

The lady official had earlier refused to take an oath in a previous hearing of the Chua panel. 

Khonghun said that Vice President Duterte shouldn't revert to diversionary tactics. "If she wants to challenge us, she should be ready to face the House Blue Ribbon Committee and testify under oath," he said in a statement. 

“We are more than willing to take the drug test and psychiatric exam, as the Vice President suggested, but we will not allow her to divert the real issue, which is the allegations of fund misuse and graft and corruption against her. We believe that transparency should go both ways," he said. 

“I am prepared to take these tests, and I am sure my colleagues are as well. However, the public deserves the same level of transparency when it comes to the use of public funds, and this can only happen if Vice President Duterte agrees to testify,” Khonghun reiterated. 

Adiong echoed Khonghun's stance in the same statement. 

“We’re ready for these tests. Let’s schedule it within the next few days. But more than that, we challenge the Vice President to step forward and answer the people’s questions about her office’s budget use. The real test of leadership is accountability, and we hope she’s ready for that,” Adiong said.
 

Vice President Duterte's double challenge originally stemmed from criticisms leveled against her, including those from members of the Young Guns, particularly regarding her controversial statements and decisions.