Vice President Sara Duterte said on Friday that she will not be present at the House hearing for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP’s) confidential funds scheduled on November 20, 2024.
The vice president mentioned that she had participated in the initial hearing, during which she was reportedly instructed to remain seated instead of responding to inquiries.
“Seguro narinig nila yung interview ko sa Senate kasi tinanong nila bakit hindi ako pumupunta sa mga hearings, sinabi ko kasi hindi ako naiimbita. Totoo yun. Nakalimutan ata nila na imbitahin ako. Iniimbita nila ako isang beses lang, pumunta ako, umupo ako dun hindi man nila ako tinanong, nasasayang yung oras ko, kaya nagpaalam ako kung puwede akong umalis, pinayagan naman nila ako. Hindi ko alam kung bakit inimbita nila ako pero hindi ako binigyan ng mga tanong pero hindi ako a-attend sa hearings nila sa susunod kasi nandoon na ako, pumunta na ako, pero wala naman silang ginawa sa akin, pinaupo lang nila ako doon,” Duterte said.
The vice president said they are planning to send a letter as well as submit an affidavit about the confidential funds.
“We plan to send a letter, we plan to say why, and I plan as well to submit an affidavit about the confidential funds, under oath naman ang affidavit na yan and for all the others we plan to tell them kung ano yung puwede nilang gawin sa akin,” she said.
The vice president also shared her thoughts on the manner the Quad Committee conducted the inquiry into her father’s, former president Rodrigo Duterte, drug war campaign.
After the Senate hearing for the OVP 2025 budget on Wednesday, the vice president went to the House of Representatives (HoR) and watched the Quad Comm’s inquiry.
“As a lawyer hindi mo na talaga maintindihan kung ano ang rules na ginagamit sa mga hearings. They used inquiry and investigation, so hindi mo alam if its an inquiry, you’re the resource person, you’re a witness or an accused, so saksak sinagol na kung sa bisaya pa ang nagapanghitabo,” she said.
The vice president also said that she went to the HoR upon the request of the former president’s companions to talk to the former president.
“Sinamahan ko si dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte and usually kasi hindi siya nakikinig sa mga kasama niya, so humihingi sila ng tulong sa akin na pakisabi or pagsabihan. Doon sa sinabi ng kasamahan niya na nagsimula ang araw niya 6 a.m. and around 10:30 p.m. na ata yun at sinabi na baka low-blood sugar na at hindi kumakain. Nagpaalam ako na i-excuse na lang siya, pero ayaw niya, pero naniwala naman siya nung sinabihan namin na kumain muna siya,” she said.
