The House of Representatives Blue Ribbon Committee postponed its Friday hearing to ensure it does not become an excuse for Vice President Sara Duterte to evade a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) subpoena over alleged threats against the country’s top leaders.
House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chair and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the decision was made to allow the NBI to proceed with its investigation “as it concerns national security.”
“Many members called me regarding this issue, that’s why we decided earlier to postpone the committee hearing for tomorrow to pave way in the NBI investigation that we can’t use as an excuse to answer the complaint,” Chua said in a mix of English and Filipino during a Thursday press conference.
The NBI summoned Duterte to respond to allegations that she issued death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The committee had planned on holding its eighth hearing on allegations that Duterte misused P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her term as secretary.
Chua assured the public that the postponement would not derail the committee’s work on the misuse of confidential funds, reiterating their commitment to passing laws to safeguard public funds and prevent similar abuses.
He said the schedule for the next hearing will be announced soon.
