Vice President Sara Duterte skipped the second day of investigation by the House good government committee into the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) alleged misuse of public funds.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Photo from Inday Sara Duterte Facebook page)
In a letter signed by Duterte herself and addressed to House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Manila Rep. Joel Chua, the official formally informed the committee that the OVP “will not be attending the deliberation” on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The letter, dated Sept. 23 and received by the lawmaker’s office on Sept. 25, also asked to “terminate this inquiry immediately” based on four reasons Duterte listed down.
“The inquiry is based on unsubstantiated allegations contained in a privilege speech by Cong. Rolando Valeriano,” she said, adding that claims against the OVP’s accomplishments can be confirmed through news reports, social media posts, and by the Commission on Audit (COA).
And although a formal inquiry or hearing on the issue is “unnecessary,” Duterte claimed that if such a need arises, “then a draft house bill should at least be presented to ensure that the discussions would be germane to the subject matter.”
“In fact, the invitation of the Committee itself lacks any clear legislative objective or contemplated legislation that is expected as an outcome of the deliberations,” the official wrote.
Duterte was referring to a privilege speech delivered by Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano last Sept. 3, wherein the lawmaker assailed the Vice President for her supposed failure to cooperate in inquiries on how her office utilized public funds.
During the House good government committee’s first hearing on Sept. 18, Duterte made a surprise appearance to deliver a seven-minute opening speech to accuse lawmakers of politicizing the issue and using it to lodge an impeachment case against her.
In her letter, the Vice President further questioned the rules in the committee hearings as they “do not conform to the Constitution and violate the rights, privacy and dignity of persons appearing therein.”
“Inquiries should not be adversarial nor prosecutorial and should recognize the right of persons to refuse to participate in the crafting of laws. The HOR cannot compel people to participate in the legislative process and such right is protected by the Constitution,” she said.
The official added that issues already pending before the Supreme Court should not be discussed in the lower chamber as commenting on them “may directly or indirectly impede, obstruct or degrade the administration of justice.”
Duterte’s current troubles in the House of Representatives came after she refused to answer questions about the OVP’s proposed budget and accused House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House Committee on Appropriations chair Ako-Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co of controlling the country’s coffers.
Her refusal to appear before lawmakers during the second hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations on the OVP’s proposed budget last Sept. 10 also led to recommendations that the agency’s funding be slashed down to P733.2 million by realigning some of its key programs to other relevant agencies.