Vice President Sara Duterte said the House committee probe into the alleged mishandling of public funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the citing of four of her staff for contempt on Monday, Nov. 11, is politically motivated.
Duterte, at a press conference at the OVP satellite office in Bacolod City, was reacting to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s citing four of her staff for contempt for repeatedly refusing to attend the probe into alleged misuse of public funds.
She said OVP staff were busy preparing for various activities, especially for the OVP’s 89th anniversary on November 15 in their satellite offices around the country.
On the advice of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, for her to leave politics, the vice president said she is answerable to the 32.2 million people who gave their trust and confidence in her and voted her into office.
Duterte said the House hearings on the OVP funds are designed to find fault by those wanting to impeach her.
“They have no evidence of wrong doing, they are attempting to find fault through the hearings…They are working to destroy the integrity of the Office of the Vice President and its employees,” she said.
Duterte said she has no problem with her being under fire, “what hurts me is when they destroy ordinary people who are just doing their jobs,” she said.
She said House Speaker Martin Romualdez wants to run for president and if he cannot make it through the popular vote, he will push for Charter Change and run as prime minister
Asked if she is running for president in 2028, Duterte said that is not in her plans yet.
December 2026 would be the best time to decide for the 2028
polls, she said.*