BUTUAN CITY – Vice President Sara Duterte believes that she is being targeted for impeachment by the House of Representatives (HOR), following a privilege speech by Manila Representative Rolando Valeriano on September 13, 2024.
Rep. Valeriano criticized VP Duterte during his speech for allegedly avoiding defending the proposed 2025 budget for her office.
According to Duterte, the ongoing hearings by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which stemmed from Valeriano’s speech, are part of a strategy to impeach her.
Additionally, ACT Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro has publicly stated that Duterte could face impeachment due to questionable spending by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education.
The controversy has been fueled by reports of misused confidential funds in the OVP in 2023.
However, VP Duterte clarified during a recent hearing that the committee’s focus is not on misuse of funds, accountability, or governance but rather on tarnishing the image of the OVP to hinder future political contests.
Due to the alleged lack of sufficient basis, Duterte suggested that the hearings should be stopped.
However, Representative Chua, chairman of the committee, said they cannot halt the proceedings as they are already acting on Rep. Valeriano’s statements.