VP Sara Duterte To Prioritize House Panel Investigation over NBI Summons
HOUSE PANEL – The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability decided to postpone its hearing so Vice President Sara Duterte can attend to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) summons.
Countless Filipinos are left in doubts and questioning about the future of the country amid the deepening gap between Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and Pres. Bongbong Marcos. The Vice President has continuously thrown tirades against the Chief Executive.
While the President rarely reacts in lengths to the remarks of the Vice President, her recent statements gained not only the Chief Executive’s reaction but as well as an action from the authorities.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos stressed that recent alarming statements are crossing the surface and he will not let pass a threat on his life. Without mentioning Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, he stressed that if only the legitimate questions of the Senate and House members were answered, the issue could have not led to a drama.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) previously confirmed that it will look into the statement of Vice Pres. Duterte that seemingly ignited threats on the lives of Pres. Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The Vice President claimed that her final wish is the death of Pres. Marcos, the First Lady, and the House Speaker if an alleged plot against her is successfully carried out.
The National Bureau of Investigation or NBI released a subpoena for Vice Pres. Sara Duterte over her remarks on Pres. Bongbong Marcos. The summons was scheduled Friday but the Vice President said she will attend the House hearing.
Duterte claimed that she requested the NBI to reschedule the summons as she needs to prioritize the House hearing where her staff members in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) will be attending.
The NBI previously said it has no problem about the rescheduling. However, recently, the House panel handling the investigation of the OVP Confidential Funds use has decided to postpone the hearing. Based on a report on GMA News, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability does not like being used as the excuse for the Vice President not being able to attend to the NBI summons.
“Ito pong issue sa NBI ay napakahalaga at it concerns national security. Kaya kami ay nag-decision na i-postpone ang committee hearing for tomorrow,” House panel chairperson and Manila Representative Joel Chua said.
Based on the report, Chua claimed that his co-members in the House panel told him that it is like they were used by Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as an excuse so she won’t be able to appear at the NBI.
“Kaya po ayun nga po yung pinarating sa akin ng mga kasama ko na parang ang nangyari kami pa ang nagiging dahilan o nagiging excuse para hindi siya maka-attend,” the lawmaker said.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has yet to issue a statement on the decision of the House panel to cancel the hearing. Recently, a DOJ Secretary said that Pres. Bongbong Marcos cannot suspend Vice Pres. Sara Duterte despite her remarks against him.