A Makabayan Coalition solon said it is time to subject Sara Duterte to impeachment proceedings following revelations of bogus receipts issued by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Gabriela Women’s Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas said the ongoing congressional inquiry no longer suffices given the extent of Duterte’s reported misuse of controversial confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).
In Tuesday’s hearing of the House Committee on Good Governance, the Commission on Audit reported it flagged 158 questionable receipts cumulatively worth millions of pesos with identical ink signatures, incorrect dates and non-existent names.
Brosas said the irregular receipts are clear indications of “large-scale fraud and corruption.”
“This is not just a simple case of documentation errors but a deliberate attempt to cover up the misuse of people’s money,” Brosas said.
The Makabayan lawmaker emphasized that the alleged fabrication of official documents to justify confidential fund expenses constitutes betrayal of public trust and corruption, both impeachable offenses under the Constitution.
Brosas said Duterte must be made accountable for fabricating receipts meant to cover up her irregular use of public funds.
“The Filipino people deserve no less than a full impeachment proceeding,” Brosas stressed.
Full accountability
For the fourth straight time, Duterte snubbed the committee hearing on Tuesday.
Her chief of staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez, ordered to appear in yesterday’s investigation, also flew to the United States without notifying the committee.
Six other staff subpoenaed by the committee also did not appear.
ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro said the absences means a boycott by the OVP, showing “contempt for transparency and accountability.”
“Public officials must remember that they are accountable to the people. No amount of legal gymnastics can justify this blatant disregard for transparency,” Castro said.
Kabataan Youth Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel also expressed disappointment in Duterte’s refusal to attend the hearings, reminding the Vice President to be respectful of legislative authority.
The three Makabayan solons were the original opponents of Duterte’s CIF at the OVP and the Department of Education, saying intelligence gathering is not among the responsibilities of her agencies.
The “supermajority” at the House of Representatives (HOR) initially defended Duterte’s CIF with senior deputy speaker Sandro Marcos even sponsoring the suspension of the OVP’s budget deliberations for 2023. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
