Vice President Sara Duterte speaks during her press conference at the Office of the Vice President, Robinsons Cybergate Plaza in Mandaluyong City. (INQUIRER file photo from LYN RILLON)
MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the House of Representatives challenged Vice President Sara Duterte to address the alleged misuse of public funds, instead of dismissing them as political attacks.
“We are still waiting for the vice president to explain the need for 34 safe houses in less than two weeks. The public has a right to know why P16 million of their money was spent so dubiously,” House Assistant Majority Leader Paolo Ortega said in a statement Saturday.
“If there’s nothing to hide, she should testify under oath. This is public money, and the Filipino people deserve transparency and accountability. No more evasions. No more squid tactics,” Ortega stressed.
On Thursday, the House committee on good government raised alarms over the Office of the Vice President’s use of P16 million in confidential funds to rent 34 safe houses for 11 days in December 2022.
READ: House panel flags VP Duterte’s spending on ‘safe houses’
Lawmakers also questioned the P15.5 million budget of the Department of Education, which it supposedly spent on the Philippine Army’s Youth Leadership Summit in 2023, when Duterte was still the agency’s chief.
The Army then stated that DepEd had “no direct contribution” in staging the program.
In September’s hearing of the House inquiry into her budget use, Duterte refused to swear to tell the truth, arguing she was only a “resource person” and not a “witness” required to take the oath.
READ: Sara skips truth-telling oath, cries House ‘attack’
The vice president then said she would no longer attend the House probe, saying it was “unnecessary.”
She also called for the termination of the proceedings.
READ: Sara Duterte to skip ‘unnecessary’ House probe into OVP funds
House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre said in the statement, “This is not just about accounting errors. This is deception. Using the military to cover up the improper use of confidential funds is an egregious act.”
Meanwhile, House Assistant Majority Leader and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mika Suansing said, “The ongoing investigations regarding the alleged misuse of OVP and DepEd funds under Vice President Duterte puts the vice president’s leadership into question.”
Acidre added, “Instead of addressing these legitimate concerns through appropriate and respectful channels, she dismissed them as political attacks.”
“Such an approach sows division and distracts us from what matters – the urgent challenges our people face,” the lawmaker noted.
At her press briefing on Friday, Vice President Duterte said the spending spree was “not surprising” and claimed the House inquiry was a “demolition job” to establish grounds to impeach her.
READ: VP: Millions spent in a day ‘not surprising’
Duterte also said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. did not know how to do his job as chief executive.
Duterte won her vice presidential bid, alongside Marcos, through their “UniTeam” ticket in the 2022 national elections.
She also said the country was on the “road to hell.”
READ: VP Duterte: Not my fault we’re on this road to hell
Acidre responded, “If she truly believes she can offer better leadership, then the path forward is clear: Focus on delivering concrete results instead of fostering discord.”
“The Filipino people expect leaders who build bridges, not walls — those who pursue durable solutions over fleeting political gain,” he added.
‘Disrespectful’
In a separate statement on Saturday, House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig City Rep. Pammy Zamora criticized the vice president for “disrespecting” the late former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“Using and disrespecting the dead runs counter to our culture. For us Filipinos, that is a no-no,” Zamora said.
Duterte, also in her two-hour tell-all conference, said she warned Senator Imee Marcos that if the administration continued attacking her, she would personally dig up Marcos Sr.’s body from the Libingan ng mga Bayani and throw it into the West Philippine Sea.
READ: Duterte: I’ll throw Marcos Sr.’s body into West PH Sea if attacks continue
The vice president stressed that it was her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who allowed Marcos Sr.’s burial at the heroes’ cemetery in 2016.
“Ang kawalang-galang sa patay ay hindi makatao at lalong hindi maka-Filipino. Hindi natin ginagawa ‘yan sa sinumang patay, kamag-anak o hindi,” Zamora observed.
“In fact, we love our departed. We visit them in their resting places whenever we can,” she added.
The Taguig representative suggested that Duterte must just address the questions on her use of public funds.