‘Don’t fall for unreasonable outbursts’
VICE President Sara Duterte staged a “drama,” which includes accusing President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez of wanting her killed, just to divert the public’s attention from her alleged misuse of confidential funds which the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability is investigating, administration lawmakers said yesterday.
“‘Yung drama-drama niya, budol-budol lang yan, diversionary. Nililihis niya ang issue dun sa di tamang paggamit niya ng P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds na natanggap ng Office of the Vice President (P500 million) and Department of Education (P112.5 million) nung 2022 at 2023, nung siya ay education secretary pa,” House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said in statement.
Dalipe said the commotion the Vice President created at the House of Representatives from Thursday until Saturday “could have been avoided had she accepted the invitation of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to explain the use of her confidential and intelligence funds.”
He said the Vice President violated House protocols when she refused to leave the office of her elder brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, where she holed up last Thursday night and Friday after visiting her chief-of-staff lawyer Zuleika Lopez who was detained at the Batasang Pambansa after being cited in contempt last week by the panel chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, which is set to resume its hearing today.
The second highest elected official of the country earlier said the Speaker wanted her killed but he would surely not do it at the Batasang Pambansa complex, an allegation that lawmakers merely laughed off.
The Vice President, who initially wanted to stay at the Batasan until after the New Year, has also said she has ordered a hitman to kill President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the Speaker if they will succeed in killing her.
“The Vice President’s claim is totally without basis. It’s just the product of her fertile imagination,” said Dalipe.
“Tingin namin planado ‘yung ginawa niya. Ilihis ang usapin sa hindi wastong paggastos ng pera ng taong bayan. ‘Yun ang layunin niya (We think what she did was planned. It’s meant to divert public attention from the issue of appropriate use of public funds),” he said.
Duterte eventually left the House after the Chua panel held an emergency online meeting where lawmakers decided to have Lopez transferred to the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, which further infuriated the Vice President who never left the side of her deputy.
Lopez, who suffered from a panic attack, was brought to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City but was transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center, also in the same city. She was later returned to the VMMC on orders of the committee, where she is currently staying.
Dalipe said the Vice President and her officials have until now failed to explain how she spent the millions of confidential funds in both the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), which she used to head as concurrent education secretary.
He said the Vice President, who has refused to face lawmakers, “continues to imagine things and make emotional displays to skirt accountability for the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in public funds.”
“We are appealing to our people not to fall for these unreasonable outbursts intended to distract them from the real issue,” he said.
“Ayaw niyang magpaliwanang, at ‘yung dalawang disbursing officer, nagtatago naman (She doesn’t want to explain, and her two disbursing officers are hiding,” Dalipe said.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House quad committee which is looking into the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) tied to the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, described the Vice President’s allegations as a “shameless ploy.”
“Instead of facing the music, the Vice President has chosen to hide behind lies, theatrics, and name-calling. This is not the behavior of a leader—it’s the behavior of someone desperately dodging accountability,” Barbers said.
Deputy Speaker David Suarez said the Vice President appears to be “hallucinating.” “Kaya ang advice ko sa kanya ay kumonsulta sa mga doktor (That’s why my advice is for her to consult doctors),” Gonzales said.
“Diversionary lang ‘yun sa ‘di maipaliwanang na paggastos ng P612.5 million na confidential funds na tinanggap ng OVP and Department of Education (DepEd) noong siya ay education secretary pa (It is just a diversionary tactic for the unexplained use of P612.5 million confidential funds in both the OVP and DepEd when she was still education secretary),” Suarez said.
Chua, who was the target of many of Duterte’s attacks, said the Vice President was trying to “intimidate lawmakers into silence.”
“The Vice President’s foul language cannot cover up her foul record. Her decision to hurl insults instead of providing answers reeks of desperation. Profanity won’t erase the stench of corruption,” Chua said.
Chua dismissed as “pure fiction” the Vice President’s claim that some lawmakers have been apologizing to her “off-camera,” supposedly telling her that they have no choice but to toe the line since they are with the majority coalition.
“Let me be clear: No one in the House apologized to her, nor do we need to. If she truly has evidence, let her bring it forward. Otherwise, it’s just another pathetic attempt to discredit a legitimate investigation,” Chua said.
Duterte said Lopez may not be able to attend today’s House hearing since she is still recovering at the VMMC, where her mother is expected to visit her today.
“Hindi ko alam kay Atty. Lopez kasi hindi ako nakikinig sa discussion niya sa mga doctor niya tsaka sa mga abogado niya. Tsaka darating din ‘yun nanay niya (ngayon) (It’s up to Atty. Lopez, I don’t listen to her discussions with her doctor and lawyers. Her mother will also arrive [today]),” Duterte told reporters in a chance interview before leaving the VMMC yesterday morning.
The Vice President said Lopez, who was seen hugging her tightly in front of media cameras, has allowed her to temporarily leave her side so she could visit her children.
While the Vice President was away, Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa accompanied Lopez, along with Sen. Imee Marcos, the President’s elder sister who is a known ally of the Duterte family, who came to visit yesterday afternoon.
The Vice President said Lopez, who she said has expressed her intent to resign from her OVP post, only allowed her to leave her side after she told her that she needed to see her children.
“I pleaded with her na pauwiin ako para makita ko ‘yung mga anak ko. Initially, ayaw niya tapos umiyak na naman siya. And then, hindi muna ako nag-ano, pinabayaan ko muna siya sandali and then inulit ko na ‘yun na naman ulit (I pleaded with her to allow me to go home so I could see my children. Initially, she didn’t want me to, she was crying again. And then I didn’t say anything, I let her be for a while and then I repeated my request),” she said.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Lopez was allowed to stay at the VMMC for “humanitarian reasons.”
“For humanitarian reasons, the Secretary General directed that Atty. Lopez remain at VMMC until she was stable enough for transfer,” he said. “The House strictly follows due process and established protocols to safeguard the rights and safety of all detainees.”
“We remain steadfast in our duty to uphold accountability and respect for human rights. We assure the public that all actions taken were in accordance with established guidelines, and any concerns raised will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure accountability and transparency,” Velasco added.
Dalipe also dismissed the Vice President’s allegation that the Speaker’s supposed plan to run for President in 2028 motivated the House to look into her alleged misuse of the P612.5 million confidential funds.
“The House wanted to protect public funds and acted on the COA report questioning hundreds of millions of pesos in CIF expenses by Madam Sara Duterte as Vice President and as DepEd secretary,” he said.
Dalipe reminded The Vice President that COA had disallowed P73 million of the P125 million in confidential funds spent by the OVP in December 2022 and has flagged more than P160 million of the P325 million disbursed in the first three quarters of 2023.
PULONG’S VERSION
Rep. Duterte said the policemen who were securing the House refused entry to Lopez’s lawyers last Friday, which prompted the Vice President to act as her lawyer.
“When she requested her lawyers to be present, the police refused to allow them inside. That’s why VP Sara stepped in. Acting as one of the lawyers, supported Atty. Lopez’s decision to stay within the (House) premises,” he posted in social media.
The Davao lawmaker said police also confiscated phones and denied the entry of an ambulance, delaying the medical response for Lopez “who has scoliosis, experienced severe back pain, shortness of breath…eventually fainted.”
In a statement, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said that “all actions adhered to established protocols and due process, particularly the response to a medical emergency and other allegations raised.”
“At 2:29 a.m. on November 23, 2024, Atty. Lopez exhibited symptoms of a medical emergency, including vomiting and signs of a panic attack. By 2:35 a.m., her doctor was granted access to evaluate her condition,” Velasco said. “An ambulance from the Quezon City Police District arrived shortly after, and by 3:08 a.m., she was en route to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC). Claims of a delayed response are unfounded.”
Velasco said Lopez was declared stable after her transfer to VMMC, but she was still brought to St. Luke’s where “she received comprehensive medical care, and her safety was ensured at all times, with House representatives accompanying her.”
Velasco also said that no lawyer was denied entry, saying that before any lawyer could even arrive at the House premises, “Vice President Sara Duterte entered Atty. Lopez’s detention room and introduced herself as her legal counsel.”
At 12:25 a.m., he said Lito Go, another lawyer, was granted access to provide legal assistance.
Velasco said that instead of complying with the transfer order, Lopez, with Duterte by her side, conducted a press conference via Zoom from her detention room, which delayed the implementation of the “lawful” transfer order.
He also said that Rep. Duterte’s claim that detainees’ phones were confiscated is also false since phone use are subject to specific time limits as part of the House security protocols.
“Atty. Lopez and her companion voluntarily surrendered their phones after being politely informed that their time had ended,” he said.
OVP BUDGET
Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada yesterday said the fate of the 2025 budget of the OVP will depend on the majority decision of senators when they vote to approve the upper chamber’s final version of the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget this week.
He said the decision of each senator will be based on their personal views and will not be influenced by the worsening bickering between Marcos and Duterte.
Estrada made the remark after Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros earlier said that she will oppose any move to increase the OVP’s House-approved allocation of P733 million. Sen. Joel Villanueva, in an interview last Friday, said that he and about five more senators want to at least add some more funds to the OVP budget.
Go and Dela Rosa have earlier appealed to their colleagues to add to the OVP budget so that the Vice President can continue to help the needy who seek help from her office.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian had also said that senators are discussing a budget hike for the OVP.
Hontiveros said her opposition for additional budget is based on the premise that the social programs of the OVP is a duplication of the programs of other government agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health.
Estrada said he is among those who want a budget hike for the OVP.
“Hindi pa naman ako kinakausap ni Sen. Joel Villanueva tungkol doon. Pero ako naman ang stand ko diyan depende naman sa majority and if it will redound to the benefit of the people, why not? Pero depende pa rin sa position ng mayorya ng Senado yan (Sen. Joel Villanueva has not talked to me about that. But my stand would depend on the majority decision. And if it will redound to the benefit of the people, why not? But again, it will depend on the majority of the members of the Senate),” Estrada said.
“Kung kinakailngan talaga ay bakit hindi ibibigay at kung hindi naman ay bakit mo ibibigay? (If it is really need, I don’t see any reason why we should not give the increase, but if there are no reasons to give it why should we give it?),” he also said.
Estrada said the same will apply to the controversial Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) of the DSWD, which was defunded by the Senate since it is a program that was not included in the President’s spending plan.
He said the decision to reconsider AKAP will be discussed by the members of both houses of Congress when they convene the bicameral conference committee. – With Raymond Africa
