Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Explains Why She Won’t Attend Nov. 20 House Hearing
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President said she will not attend the November 20 hearing and the succeeding hearings on the Confidential Funds use.
The lawmakers were left disappointed several times over the repetitive absence of Vice Pres. Duterte in the hearings conducted by the House panels. On the hearings over the use of her office’s Confidential Funds, the Vice President has only attended once and never came back despite the invitations from the lower chamber.
Duterte is a former secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) who left her post in June. Her office’s Confidential Funds is controversial as to how the multi-million fund was used speedily. The House also urges the Vice President to account the P112.5 million CIFs.
Amid the Vice President snubbing the House invitations, VP Sara Duterte came to the House hearing where her father, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, was invited as a resource person. The inquiry was about his administration’s war on drugs.
The recent appearance of Vice Pres. Duterte at a House hearing triggered expectations that she will also do it in the inquiries that invite her as the resource speaker. However, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Vice President has already decided not to attend the November 20 hearing over her office’s Confidential Funds use.
According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, she has already attended the hearing once and the lawmakers allegedly just let her seat and did not ask her. She stressed that her time is only wasted.
“Kung nakikita ninyo nakaupo lang ako doon. Nasasayang yung oras ko kaya nagpaalam ako kung pwede akong umalis, pinayagan naman nila ako,” the Vice President said.
Based on the report, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte stressed that she will not be attending the succeeding hearings on her office’s fund use as she already did and nothing happened. According to her, she will just send a letter to the House and submit an affidavit.
“Pumunta na ako, ta’s wala naman sila ginawa sa akin, pinaupo lang nila ako doon,” Duterte said.
The Vice President also said that the affidavit that she will submit to the House is also under oath. According to her, it was on Wednesday when she went to the hearing over the war on drugs when she was given the invitation to a separate hearing led by the House Quad Committee which is the same panel that looks into the war on drugs of her father’s admin.
Following her House hearing attendance, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte called her father, former Pres. Rodrigo, as “best dramatic actor”. She even rated him as 12 out of 10 for her “performance”.