By Filane Mikee Cervantes | Philippine News Agency
A lawmaker at the House of Representatives said Tuesday (Nov. 26) that Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement that she has contracted an assassin to target President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez could be considered grounds for impeachment.
“Ang mga binitawang mga salita ng ating Bise Presidente, tingin ko impeachable offense,” House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, said during a news conference.
Khonghun, however, clarified that the House has not formally discussed filing an impeachment case against the Vice President due to its packed legislative work.
The Vice President is also under congressional scrutiny for the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to her office and to the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary in 2022 and 2023.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said no conclusions have been reached as the probe continues.
“Sa ngayon wala pa naman kaming napag-uusapan tungkol dyan. Basta kami po, tinutuloy pa lamang po namin itong trabaho, kung anu po ’yong aming maa-unravel dito po sa committee hearing na to,” Chua said.
The findings of the House panel investigation, he said, would be a collective decision.
“At the end of the day, ito ay pag-uusapan ng lahat ng mga miyembro ng committee. Hindi ito magiging decision ng isa. At the end of the day, collegial body ang mag-decide kung ano ang magiging laman or konteksto ng aming committee report,” Chua said.
Gravity of confidential funds saga places VP Sara’s tenure in jeopardy
1Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, meanwhile, said the handling of P120 million in confidential funds by special disbursing officers (SDOs) under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) could potentially qualify as plunder due to procedural violations.
“If this was taken for personal gain, if it was proven fictitious and erroneous ’yong ARs (acknowledgment receipts) to justify the taking of this amount, that could be malversation proper or, worse, plunder kasi lampas na po ito sa P50 million,” Gutierrez said.
The House Good Government and Public Accountability’s recent hearing disclosed that the funds were allegedly handed over to security officers instead of being managed by bonded SDOs Gina Acosta and Eduard Fajarda, reportedly under the direct orders of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Chua said transferring funds to unauthorized individuals, including security personnel, was a severe violation.
“Talagang dapat SDO ka kung saang ahensiya ka nagtatrabaho,” he said.
Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega said the House would finalize its investigation before the Christmas break.
“Ang goal namin dito sa Committee on Good Government saka sa Quad-Comm, siyempre ang goal namin [ay] matapos na iyong hearings at investigation para ’yong policy recommendations, bagong batas, amendments at possible findings natin ma-submit sa mga kaukulang ahensya. Iyan ang number one priority ng committees,” Ortega said.
On Monday, the House adopted Resolution No. 2092, expressing “unwavering and unqualified support” for Marcos and Romualdez amid “serious and dangerous remarks” that threaten democracy, rule of law, and public trust.