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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'I'm free': Sara says she will attend the Nov. 29 House probe into OVP fund

'I'm free': Sara says she will attend the Nov. 29 House probe into OVP fund

Published Nov 26, 2024 09:46 pm

Vice President Sara Duterte will be at the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing on Friday, Nov. 29, to show support to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) executives and personnel who will be there as resource persons.

VPSD_VMMC.jpgVice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 (Santi San Juan/MANILA BULLETIN)

“Yes, I’m free on Friday,” the official told reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

She will, however, be in Basilan and Lingayen, Pangasinan on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, but will be back in Manila by night to be with OVP Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, who’s confined at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

“I will answer my questions because I need to be there to help the other OVP personnel. They have expressed that they feel safer and they feel more comfortable if I am with them,” Duterte explained.

On Monday, Nov. 25, she was pushed to take an oath—something she refused to do during the committee’s first hearing on Sept. 18–because “I will not be recognize if don’t take my oath so I’m forced to take my oath and answer questions under oath because I can’t take care of the OVP personnel.”

The Vice President also refused allegations that she can’t leave the officials and staff because they might say something incriminating.

“I was not there when Usec. Lopez attended the hearing. So, I was not there to influence her and tell her what to answer,” she explained.

The official added that she wasn’t even looking at OVP Special Disbursement Officer Gina Acosta when she was answering questions from the lawmakers.

“Siguro umiling-iling ako paminsan-minsan dahil I feel dapat hindi dina-divulge sa public iyong ibang mga sinasabi ng kasama ko pero wala ako magawa kasi ayaw namin na ma-detain. So, sumasagot talaga sila (Maybe I was shaking my head at times because I felt some things need not be divulged to the public by my staff but I cannot do anything because they don’t want to be detained. So, they’re really answering),” she said.

But asked if she plans to answer questions about the OVP’s and Department of Education’s (DepEd) liquidation documents regarding their confidential funds use, Duterte replied that her offices have already submitted their responses to the Commission on Audit (COA) and that relevant resource persons will also be at the hearing to answer questions.

Related Tags

OVP Confidential funds HOUSE HEARING Sara Duterte
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