MANILA – The Office of Vice President (OVP) has skipped the House of Representatives’ good government and public accountability committee hearing, arguing that it is not in aid of legislation.
In a position paper submitted to the House panel, the OVP said the data being asked by lawmakers could easily be verified through Commission on Audit reports.
“In other words, it becomes completely unnecessary for the Committee to belabor and pursue a legislative inquiry into the budget utilization and accomplishment of the Office because the data has already been provided during the budget deliberations in the Committee on Appropriations, and that further information needed may be verified through the COA,” the OVP stated.
“It (investigation) lacks clear legislative objective or contemplated legislation that is expected as an outcome of the deliberation. It has been the consistent position of the Office that a draft bill for consideration must at least be attached to the invitation for us to be informed of the aid that we can provide to the deliberations,” they added.
On Thursday, the House panel issued subpoena ad testificandum to six officials of the OVP for refusing to attend the probe on how their office used its budget, including confidential funds.
Among the subject of subpoena are chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez, lawyers Lemuel Ortonio and Rosalynne Sanchez, Gina Acosta, Julieta Villadelrey, and Edward Fajarda.
Aside from subpoena, Manila Representative Joel Chua also made a motion to issue an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against the six in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Justice department. The motion was also unanimously approved by the panel.
An ILBO instructs immigration officers to alert authorities should the subjects attempt to leave the country.
Vice President Sara Duterte previously said her office never misused its budget amid COA records showing the OVP spent P125 million of its confidential funds in 11 days in 2022.
She added that the said inquiry is a mere test case for filing an impeachment case against her./PN
