LAWMAKERS yesterday urged Vice President Sara Duterte to identify her House allies who told her that an impeachment complaint against her is being discussed, and reiterated there are no talks about ousting her.
“She should probably identify her friends who are saying that, so they can say if the information they received from the grapevine is correct,” La Union Rep. Paulo Ortega V said in Filipino in a joint press conference with other lawmakers.
Ortega said there are no discussions at the House of Representatives about impeaching the Vice President despite her decision to sever ties with President Marcos Jr. and her recent moves to criticize his administration.
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said she also has not heard any talk of impeachment as she warned the Vice President against attention-seekers who could be feeding her false information.
“Whoever is sowing intrigue, we hope they are identified so we’ll know if they have vested interests or they’re just trying taking the Vice President for a ride,” she said.
Duterte, in an ambush interview at the Senate on Tuesday, said members of the House of Representatives have been openly discussing the possibility of impeaching her.
She said the information was relayed by her allies at the House. She also said
the impeachment move is expected after she parted ways with President Marcos, which ended the UniTeam.
Duterte said she already expected the “playbook” which includes the investigation of the House “quad comm” in a bid to bring her family down as the probe targets her father former President Duterte, her husband Mans Carpio, and brother Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.
She said their detractors see their family as a threat “to the perpetuation in power” of people interested to become prime minister if the controversial Charter change move was approved by Congress.
The House four-committee panel is investigating links of the operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the illegal drugs trade, and extrajudicial killings to the Duterte government’s bloody war on illegal drugs.
Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider) said House members have been too busy with the budget deliberations, various committee hearings, and coordination with government agencies in connection with the much-praised Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF).
He backed Ortega’s statement, saying it would be better for the Vice President to name names so they could “substantiate the claims” while Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto
DISUNITY
Adiong called for an end to the impeachment rumors.
Adiong said the House, under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, is focused on advancing the nation’s interests and promoting unity.
He said that such baseless speculations only serve to create political disunity and are counterproductive to the positive work being done by Congress.
Garin also shot down speculations that the findings of the Commission on Audit regarding Vice President’s use of confidential and intelligence funds could serve as a ground for impeachment.
The House committee on appropriations last week approved a motion to subpoena the COA’s audit reports on the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 after COA Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba said he could not discuss the findings of the audit reports because of the nature of the funds involved.
Makabayan Reps. France Castro (PL, ACT) and Arlene Brosas (PL, Gabriela) said they wanted to find out how the OVP under Duterte spent the P125 million confidential funds that it received from the Office of the President in 2022 in just 11 days, which translates to around P11 million spent per day.
Senate President Francis Escudero told his colleagues to stay away from any discussions about the supposed impeachment plan because they will as jurors in case a complaint comes to the Senate. — With Raymond Africa
