VP Sara Duterte refuses to take oath, skips questions at House inquiry on fund use

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte once again declined to answer questions about her office's budget utilization at a House inquiry on a privilege speech about her office's alleged fund misuse on Wednesday, September 18. 

The House of Representatives' Good Governance and Public Accountability Committee conducted a hearing to deliberate on the budget use of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), where they invited Duterte to explain state auditors’ findings on her agency’s spending of confidential funds. 

While Duterte appeared at the hearing as a resource person, she refused to take oath promising that any statement she makes during the inquiry is true.

Why she refused. According to the rules sent to Duterte by the committee, only witnesses are required to testify under oath. 

Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga, 2nd District) backed Duterte by mentioning that the Supreme Court differentiates a witness from a resource person or an accused. 

Arroyo said that the “constitution provides that no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself” even in legislative inquiries. She also insinuated that Duterte is being accused of “malversation of public funds.”  

House lawmakers insisted, however, that resource person and witness are technical terms that carry the same meaning. 

Rep. Keith Flores (Bukidnon, 2nd District) answered, saying that “no one is technically accused of any wrongdoing” in a legislative inquiry. 

Duterte instead expressed to the committee that the hearing is merely a “well-funded political attack,” pointing to the privilege speeches delivered by Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) and Rep. Rolando Valeriano (Manila, 2nd District).

For Duterte, lawmakers who prompted the inquiry are only trying to tell people, “Do not vote for Sara in 2028.”

“May I just say that I take notice of the opening speeches and it was stated that there’s a determination of misfeasance, nonfeasance, and malfeasance and those are cases that should be properly taken in the courts of law,” Duterte said in her opening speech.

The vice president said that she would only respond to the alleged misuse of funds if a case is filed to the appropriate