Speaker Martin Romualdez urged Vice President Sara Duterte to finally come to the House of Representatives and address allegations of funds misuse hounding her office.
At the sidelines of Tabang Bicol, Tindog Oragon relief mission in Albay on Thursday, Romualdez expressed belief that only the Vice President can best explain how government funds entrusted to her office are spent.
“She (Duterte) should appear, take an oath, speak up and explain. Because even among her subordinates, it appears that only one knows what happened to the funds,” Romualdez told reporters in Tagalog when asked to comment on the issue.
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City also called out Vice President Duterte for what he described as a calculated strategy of evasion and deflection to avoid accountability for the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under her watch.
“Huwag kang pa-victim. Tama na ang pambubudol. (Don’t act like a victim. Stop fooling.) The Vice President should stop using her staff as human shields. It is about time she face Congress, answer the questions and stop blaming others for her failures and fear of accountability,” Dalipe said.
Dalipe’s statement came in response to Duterte’s claim that her staff and officials, whom she described as non-politicians, did not deserve the scrutiny brought by the House’s investigation into the alleged misuse of confidential funds under the OVP and DepEd, which she led until resigning as Education Secretary in July.
He dismissed Duterte’s remarks as “yet another budol tactic from the Vice President.”
“The Vice President has been hiding while letting her staff take the heat. This is pure cowardice disguised as victimhood,” Dalipe added.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the House Blue Ribbon Committee, has conducted six hearings to investigate the questionable use of confidential funds by the OVP and DepEd.
Despite the gravity of the issue, Duterte has attended only once—during the first hearing—where she refused to take an oath, read a prepared statement, and left without addressing inquiries from lawmakers.
“After six hearings, why has she refused to appear again? Instead, she sends career officials who have no personal knowledge of how these funds were used,” Dalipe pointed out.
Key OVP officials described as part of Duterte’s “inner circle”—Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio, Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta, and husband-and-wife Edward and Sunshine Charry Fajarda—have repeatedly ignored House invitations and subpoenas. They have since been cited for contempt and ordered arrested.
The inquiry took a dramatic turn during the sixth hearing when OVP Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez finally appeared after multiple invitations and a subpoena.
However, her evasive answers and apparent attempts to shield herself from accountability led to her being cited for contempt and detained by the House for “undue interference in the proceedings.”
“Instead of addressing the questions head-on, Vice President Duterte spins a narrative to paint herself as a victim of political persecution. The truth is, this isn’t about politics—it’s about accountability,” Dalipe emphasized.
The lawmaker from Zamboanga City underscored the House’s mandate to ensure public funds are spent responsibly and with transparency.
“It is the duty of Congress to ensure that every peso of taxpayers’ money is used properly and for the benefit of the people. If there’s nothing to hide, there’s no reason to dodge questions,” Dalipe said.
“But the continuous evasion and attempts to shield her actions only prove there’s something Duterte doesn’t want the public to know,” he added.
Dalipe challenged the Vice President to end her pattern of evasion and directly face Congress.
“Seeking the truth is not an attack—it is our responsibility as public officials entrusted with the people’s money,” he pointed out.
He reiterated: “Stop hiding behind your staff and career officials. Stop using them as scapegoats to avoid answering the nation’s questions. Face Congress and explain yourself.”
