Vice President Sara Duterte (Noel Pabalate/ MANILA BULLETIN)

House Deputy Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre says Vice President Sara Duterte's latest display of behavior reflects poorly on her role as the second-highest official of the land.

“Bilang Bise Presidente, hindi dapat siya umaakto na parang wala sa tamang kaisipan (As the Vice President, she shouldn't act as if she isn't of sound mind). Her toxic behavior is concerning and may reflect an alarming state of mind. This does not suit her, especially given the dignity of her office,” Acidre said in a statement Saturday, Nov. 23.

“What happened was a meltdown, plain and simple. And she said many bad things pa na dapat ay hindi naririnig ng ating mga kabataan mula sa kanilang mga lider sa gobyerno,” he noted.

Acidre was referring to the lady official's recent outbursts and actions, including her decision to camp out at the House of Representatives in a bid a to stay close to her chief-of-staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez. 

The Visayas lawmaker says Duterte’s primary responsibility is to explain the alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and during her tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. 

“Napakasimple lang naman po ng hinihingi natin: magpaliwanag. Kailangang maipaliwanag niya kung paano ginamit o inabuso ang milyong pondong inilaan para sa OVP at DepEd. Pero mukha yatang hindi niya kayang ipaliwanag kaya nagwala na lang siya. Nag-tantrum,” he added.

(We're asking for a very simple thing: an explanation. She needs to explain how the millions worth of funds allocated to the OVP and DepEd were used or abused. But it seems that she's incapable of explaining, she just threw a fit. She had a temper tantrum.)

The Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability ordered Lopez’s transfer to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City, but Duterte prevented it from happening before dawn Saturday.

“Her actions and words raise serious questions about her priorities as a leader. Instead of addressing the issues at hand, she is diverting attention with theatrics,” Acidre said.