Lawmakers urge VP: Go to both House, NBI probes

VP Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Neophyte House lawmakers on Monday advised Vice President Sara Duterte to attend both the congressional inquiry into her alleged misuse of public funds and the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe of her supposed kill threat against President Marcos.

At a press conference on Monday, 1-Rider party list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez stressed that both the inquiry by the House committee on good government and public accountability and the NBI investigation were legal processes requiring compliance.

The NBI earlier required Duterte to appear before it on Nov. 29 to explain her “active threat” to have Marcos, his wife Liza and Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated should she be killed. But this was moved by the NBI to Dec. 11 after she asked for it to be rescheduled, saying she wanted to attend the House hearing set on Nov. 29.

READ: Despite scrapped House hearing, VP Duterte still no-show at NBI

However, the House panel, which is looking into allegations that over P600 million in funds given to the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education were misused from 2022 to 2023, called off its hearing to avoid any conflict with Duterte’s NBI appearance.

“I don’t understand why it would be easier to commit to one and not the other,” Gutierrez said. He was referring to Duterte’s statement that she would choose appearing before the House panel chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua over abiding by the NBI summons.

Legal processes

“I think she should commit to both because these are both legal processes that have to be complied with … I hope that’s what she does,” Gutierrez said.

Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong, on the other hand, pointed out that Duterte’s appearance in both proceedings was only “proper and was how an official respects the rule of law.”

“It’s not really a matter of choice. I think it’s proper and it’s how an official respects the rule of law,” Adiong said, adding that the Vice President should deal squarely with the NBI probe.

“So it’s not really a choice between which do you favor: the committee hearing or the NBI. Both are important,” he pointed out.

For her part, Assistant Majority Leader Amparo Maria Zamora slammed Duterte’s claim that the presidency was already hers in 2022, saying, “Then why didn’t she run if she had it in the bag? I mean it’s already [almost] 2025, why is she just saying that now?”