Vice President Sara Duterte was absent on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from the House inquiry into how her office utilized its budget in previous years, citing “unsubstantiated allegations” as a reason.
In a letter dated Sept. 23, Duterte explained her absence, stating that there was no clear “legislative objective” for the inquiry. The letter was in response to Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, the panel’s chairperson, who requested her appearance on Sept. 20.
The investigation stemmed from a privilege speech by Manila 2nd District Representative Rolando Valeriano, titled “Asserting Power of the Purse,” which questioned Duterte’s refusal to answer certain queries during a previous appropriations committee hearing on her proposed 2025 budget.
Valeriano also raised concerns about whether the agency’s socio-economic programs were concentrated in Metro Manila. In her letter, Duterte stated that the office’s accomplishment reports could address these concerns.
“Clearly, the conduct of a formal inquiry or hearing on the matter is unnecessary. Further, should there indeed be a need for a formal inquiry to [be] made, then a draft house bill should at least be presented to ensure that the discussions would be germane to the subject matter,” Duterte said.
She further argued that the inquiry’s rules were not in accordance with the Constitution, noting that the terms “inquiry” and “investigation,” as well as “persons” and “witnesses,” were being used interchangeably, which veered away from the inquiry’s purpose of aiding legislation.
On Sept. 18, Duterte declined to testify under oath, clarifying that she was invited as a resource person and not a witness. Additionally, she pointed out that some issues raised in the committee were pending before the Supreme Court and should not be discussed in the House.
“Speaking or commenting on the matter may directly or indirectly impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice. The OVP (Office of the Vice President) has been filing its comments in response to the various petitions filed before the Supreme Court,” she explained.
‘Not About Politics’
Rep. Chua expressed disappointment at Duterte’s absence, stressing that the inquiry was not politically motivated. He raised concerns about the “unimaginable” amounts of money allegedly misused by the OVP.
“I must stress that the sheer vastness of these potentially misused funds sets this matter apart from other instances of irregularity and disallowance – these amounts easily surpass the threshold for the crime of plunder under our laws,” Chua said.
“These proceedings are about accountability. We seek to learn the truth of how public money… is being used,” he added.
In August, the Commission on Audit flagged the OVP’s disbursement of P73 million in confidential funds in 2022, which was almost 60% of the agency’s P125-million budget for that year. These funds were spent in just 11 days for surveillance activities.
Following these revelations, lawmakers slashed the OVP’s proposed 2025 budget by nearly P1.3 billion — from P2.04 billion to just P733 million. Duterte did not attend the plenary deliberations, leaving the decision to the House.
