House answers VP Sara: Auditing your secret funds not tied to impeachment plot

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Wednesday again denied Vice President Sara Duterte's allegation that the lower chamber is preparing an impeachment case against her, saying that efforts to access the audit report of her confidential and intelligence expenditures are "part of the regular budgeting process."

During a press conference, Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega (La Union, 1st District) also challenged Duterte to name her "friends" in the House who informed her of the alleged impeachment case being readied against her. 

"Perhaps she should just identify her friends who made the claims so that those friends can confirm if the information they are receiving from the grapevine is correct. But here in the House of Representatives, nothing of that sort is being discussed," the House assistant majority leader said.

This comes after Duterte said in a press conference on Tuesday that House lawmakers are eyeing to impeach her using the findings of the Commission on Audit on the confidential and intelligence expenses of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education from 2022 to 2023. 

The vice president said her "friends" in the House, who are remaining silent "out of fear," informed her that the impeachment plan is being talked about openly. 

Makabayan bloc lawmakers, including Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers), moved to subpoena the Commission on Audit last week to submit its audit reports on OVP and DepEd's confidential and intelligence expenses to the powerful House appropriations committee. 

Duterte called the move a "play" by Castro and argued that it was out of the scope of the lower chamber to request a copy of the audit report. 

"The audit isn't even finished yet. But we already know what they're aiming for—it's their attempt to discredit me," the vice president said in Filipino.

Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st District) said that there is "no current indication" that the release of the audit report will lead to an impeachment complaint against Duterte. 

House deputy majority leader Rep. Janette Garin said Castro's intention appears to be merely to ensure that the secret funds are spent