HOUSE leaders have vowed to continue pressing Vice President Sara Duterte for answers on the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds, despite the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the impeachment complaint against her.
Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega V and Jay Khonghun stressed that the allegations remain unresolved because the High Court’s ruling focused solely on procedural matters.
“The Supreme Court decision delved into procedural issues but not on the alleged misuse of CIFs received by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she was education secretary,” Ortega said in a statement. “The accountability part was not resolved, so we intend to continue asking her to account for those funds and answer for how they have been handled or mishandled.”
Last month, the Supreme Court en banc unanimously ruled that the impeachment complaints against Duterte violated the one-year bar rule, which prohibits filing more than one impeachment case against the same official within a year.
It also found that due process was not observed during the House proceedings that led to her impeachment.
Duterte was impeached in February over alleged constitutional violations, including the misuse of more than ₱600 million in confidential funds.
Khonghun said the ruling did not absolve Duterte of potential criminal liability.
“The Vice President is not yet off the hook on the use of this large amount of taxpayers’ money. We will pursue accountability on her part wherever it takes us,” he said.
Last week, the Senate voted 19-4 to archive the impeachment articles, following the Supreme Court’s decision.
House prosecutors are now awaiting the High Court’s ruling on their motion for reconsideration, which seeks to overturn the earlier decision.