House lawmaker, 1-Rider Party-list Representative Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, reiterated his call for Vice President Sara Duterte to face the various agencies conducting investigations into her alleged threats against Philippine leaders.
After skipping the rescheduled National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe on December 11, Gutierrez urged the Vice President to attend the ongoing investigations into these threats.
“I think it’s unfortunate, although we respect the decision of the OVP. I think the opinion was that based on their lawyer’s advice, they can just file a counter affidavit. However, we were of the position that the Vice President should take every avenue to clear their name, to clear the office’s name, clear her name,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez also recalled the postponement of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the House Blue Ribbon Committee, to accommodate the NBI’s scheduled probe, which the Vice President also failed to attend.
“So, you can see very clearly where we stand. We’re here to afford her the opportunity to answer po the allegations even from other government bodies. We repeat po yung panawagan namin and we hope the she participates not only in the NBI, I understand marami na pong nasampang kaso. I hope she participates with the all the agencies as far as the rule of law is concerned po,” Gutierrez emphasized.
Additionally, Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, who chairs the committee, shared findings from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicating that over 400 recipients of confidential funds lacked birth records.
“Well, hindi naman po kami ang nagsabi na ito’y hindi nag e-exist, kung hindi bina-base lang po namin sa record na binigay sa amin ng PSA. So, based sa record ng PSA eh walang mga pinanganak or na ganito yung mga pangalan. Around 405 kung hindi po ako nagkakamali and the rest po ay maraming kapangalan,” Chua explained.
The two lawmakers held a press briefing after filing House Bill 11192, which aims to regulate the allocation and use of confidential and intelligence funds, and impose penalties for their misuse.
“May mga parusa bukod siyempre sa mga administrative at saka sa mga criminal liability. Nilalagay rin dito na kapag ikaw ay mapatunayan na nag-violate dito sa mga batas na ito, eh magkakaroon ka ng perpetual disqualification to hold public office. Pero siyempre lahat naman ng mga ito, dadaan pa ito sa committee,” Chua concluded.