The members of the House of Representatives clarified that the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte was not a political maneuver but a result of the allegations and violations regarding the utilization of confidential funds.
In a press conference on Monday, February 24, the lawmakers reacted to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that President Ferdinand Marcos would not step down in 2028, but would rather impose martial law.
La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega responded to the claim, “Ayon sa pag deklara ng martial law, fake news po ulit.”
He elaborated it was unrelated to the impeachment case against VP Sara, citing the Quad Committee and budget hearings.
“‘Yun naman po sa impeachment, nakita naman po natin ‘yan lahat. During the Quad Comm, during the budget hearing sa local government, hindi pa nga po nasasagot si Mary Grace Piattos. Sagutin na muna nila ‘yon, o ayan may impeachment na,” Ortega said.
“Kaya nga umabot sa punto na ganyan kasi hindi masagot yung tanong [na] sino ba si Mary Grace Piattos? Saan napunta yung mga pera na ‘yan? Kaya huwag muna kayo mag fake news,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Adiong acknowledged that the former president is entitled to have his own opinion and interpretation of the situation.
“Of course, you cannot discount the fact that the Vice President is his daughter. Talagang sasabihin niya ‘yon whatever reason that he may think [is] behind nitong impeachment. But the impeachment, if you go to the merits of the case, 215 complainants [and] members of this House said that the VP deserves a day in court,” he said.
“Yung mga kaso naman po niya is not connected with her partisanship or which party she belongs to. These are brought about by the allegations and violations of the joint circular when it comes to the utilization of confidential funds,” he added.
Adiong furthered that one of the articles of impeachment cited the threats VP Sara made publicly against President Marcos Jr., First Lady Lisa Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“We should not divert from those real issues at hand. ‘Yun po ang focus ng impeachment na ito. Politika darating naman ‘yan sa mga eleksyon. There are ways para resulbahin ang politika, but this is already something beyond politics,” Adiong emphasized.
“This is about holding public officials accountable for their actions,” he ended.
