Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong has criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for reverting to violent rhetoric aimed at diverting public attention from the evidence being presented against her before the Senate impeachment court.

Adiong was referring to Duterte’s remarks on how easy it supposedly was to hire a gunman in the Philippines.

The House impeachment panel spokesperson noted that Duterte’s statement came as the prosecution began presenting evidence on the first article of impeachment, which accuses her of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds.

“While the impeachment court is focused on documents and witness testimonies concerning the P612.5 million in confidential funds, the discussion is once again being diverted by another controversial statement from the Vice President," he said.

"She would rather create another issue than answer the evidence,” underscored Adiong.

Speaking before supporters outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte said she could easily hire a gunman in the Philippines for P5,000. At that time, she was alluding to a hypothetical scenario in which she said she could have her husband’s alleged mistress killed.

Adiong said the remarks cannot simply be dismissed because they follow a series of public statements in which Duterte invoked violence.

“This can no longer be dismissed as a joke or a mere illustration. We have repeatedly heard her use violence in her public statements. That is deeply alarming, especially coming from the country’s second-highest official,” he said.

He noted that the prosecution had already concluded presenting evidence on the fourth article of impeachment, which pertains to Duterte’s public admission that she had contracted someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should anything happen to her.

Adiong said Duterte’s latest remarks also echo several of her previous public statements invoking violence, including her comments about imagining cutting off President Marcos’ head and her threat to exhume the remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and throw them into the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Adiong cited the testimony of former Land Bank of the Philippines Shaw Boulevard branch manager Violeta Constantino, who confirmed in court Wednesday, July 29 that treasury checks totaling P500 million for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were encashed at her branch.

Constantino testified that the money was released in 125 bundles worth P1 million each before being packed into several large bags and taken out of the bank.

He also cited the testimony of former LandBank DepEd branch manager Nenita Camposano, who said treasury checks totaling P112.5 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) were likewise converted into cash.

Respondent Duterte served as DepEd secretary from 2022 to 2024.

Camposano described the withdrawal as unusual because of its size and testified that the cash was taken out through a fire exit instead of the bank’s main entrance.

“Both former LandBank branch managers testified under oath that the withdrawals were highly unusual because of the enormous amounts involved. These are not opinions. They are firsthand accounts from the very people who handled the transactions,” Adiong said.

He said the public should remain focused on the documentary evidence and sworn testimonies being presented before the Senate impeachment court.

“What the public should be talking about are the receipts, bank records, Treasury checks and witness testimonies that are now being presented before the Impeachment Court. That is where the public’s attention should be—not on another controversy created by the Vice President,” he said.

“While the Vice President is abroad making yet another disturbing public statement, Filipinos are waiting for clear answers to the evidence that is steadily unfolding before the Impeachment Court,” he further said.