If congressmen can't convince Vice President Sara Duterte to attend Wednesday's House Committee on Justice hearing on her impeachment case, maybe a member of the clergy will.

Bishop Alvin Valera of the Diocese of Northern Isabela joined a press conference with other religious leaders at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, April 28 to make a last ditch effort to make the impeachment respondent attend the final "probable cause" hearing of the justice panel.

"Sa amin po sa simbahan ay hindi po matatawaran ang amin pong pananabik na malaman mismo sa bibig ng ating Pangalawang Pangulo ang katotohanan hinggil sa mga samot-saring katanungan sa kanya,” Valera said in the presser.

(In our church, we cannot hide our eagerness to hear directly from our Vice President the truth regarding the many questions raised against her.)

"Pinapanalangin namin na gabayan siya ni Lord (We pray that the Lord guides her)," the bishop added.

Vice President Duterte's impeachment is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.

In a prepared statement during the presser, Valera wondered out loud if Duterte’s personal trip was more important than grabbing the opportunity to explain her side to the people.

"We, leaders and members of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, also known as the Aglipayan Church, reiterate our call for Vice President Sara Duterte to attend the final hearing of the House committee on justice on the two impeachment complaints against her," he said.

"The respondent Vice President, had she accepted and not criticized the travel permit given to her by the Office of the President, would be abroad by now, visiting the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

"Ang orihinal na biyahe niya ay mula April 23 hanggang May 15. Mas mahalaga ba sa kanya ang pagbiyahe abroad kaysa pagsipot sa hearing ng committee on justice para marinig ng komite at ng taong bayan ang paliwanag niya sa mga paratang laban sa kanya?" Valera said.

(Her original trip was scheduled from April 23 to May 15. Is traveling abroad more important to her than attending the committee on justice hearing, where the committee and the people deserve to hear her explanation regarding the accusations against her?)

"To be fair," Valera cotinued, "We have heard some statements from her lawyers and from her about her wealth, but those sound more like 'palusot (excuses)' than credible explanations of her alleged omissions in her [SALN]."

"To say that certain sums of money were declared as part of “other” assets in her SALNs, where there are specific spaces for 'cash on hand and in bank' that were left blank for six years, from 2019 to 2014, is more of an excuse than a real intention to disclose all wealth as required by law," reckoned the bishop.

The Vice President, he said, has asserted that every centavo in her SALNs was legitimate income. "We want to see proof of that. The documents sent to the committee on justice by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) do not support her assertion."

"Sana sumipot na sa final hearing ng committee on justice si VP Sara Duterte. Matagal na naming hinihintay at matagal nang hinihintay ng taong bayan ang kanyang paliwanag," Valera said.

(Vice President Sara Duterte should attend the final hearing of the committee on justice. We have long been waiting, and the people have long been waiting, for her explanation.)