Vice Pres. Sara Duterte No Show at House Inquiry, Says Probe is “Unnecessary”
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President, a former education secretary, snubbed the House investigation on the use of the Department of Education (DepEd) fund during her term.
In June, Vice Pres. Duterte resigned from being the secretary of DepEd. Her decision was met by several questions and speculations regarding the reason behind it. Initially, the Vice President claimed that her decision is out of compassion to the teachers and students.
Not long after her decision to resign was announced, Vice Pres. Duterte spoke on the reason for leaving the Marcos Cabinet and the DepEd. Duterte was replaced by Senator Sonny Angara as the education chief.
However, although she is no longer the DepEd secretary, the Vice President is still accountable on the issues surrounding her term in the education department. Previously, the Commission on Audit or COA flagged the feeding program of DepEd during VP Sara Duterte’s term.
Recently, the House of Representatives set an inquiry for the DepEd fund use during the term of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as the education chief. However, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Vice President did not show up at the probe.
Duterte sent a letter to the House explaining her side on her absence from the hearing. She stressed her belief that a congressional probe on the matter is “unnecessary”. According to her, the investigation is based on “unsubstantiated allegations” allegedly cited in Cong. Rolando Valeriano’s privilege speech.
Based on the report, the former Vice President stressed in the letter that Valeriano “merely cited the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budget of the OVP were concentrated in the National Capital Region”. Furthermore, the Vice President also stated that the House cannot force people to attend the legislative process citing the protection provided by the Constitution.
“Inquiries should not be adversarial nor prosecutorial and should recognize the right of persons to refuse or participate in the crafting of laws,” Duterte said.
Reportedly, the Vice President stressed that the HOR does not hold any judicial authority. She cited the principle of the separation of powers.