Vice President Sara Duterte did not appear before a House committee holding impeachment proceedings against her on Wednesday (April 29), standing firm on her decision to boycott the hearings on the complaints that may undermine her political future.
Duterte was again absent and not on her assigned seat when the House justice committee’s secretary called her from the roll of attendees that included the country’s top investigator and officials from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Private complainants who filed the ouster raps and their lawyers were present in what could be the congressional panel’s final hearing on the complaints.
‘Let it be placed on record that the committee secretary called the respondent vice president, but she is not present in today’s hearing,’ Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, who heads the House committee on justice, said.
Lawyer Michael Poa, spokesman for Duterte’s defense team, did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
The House Justice Committee resumed its hearings on the complaints seeking Duterte’s impeachment, which alleged she misused P612.5 million in confidential funds under her office and the Education department when she was its secretary, and amassed wealth greater than what her declared income would’ve allowed.
For Wednesday’s hearing, lawmakers are expected to review the NBI’s report on Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the first lady and a former House speaker, which forms part of a list of allegations that has fueled the impeachment moves.
The 39-member panel is also expected to vote whether to unseal a box containing Duterte and her husband’s tax filings, a document lawmakers deferred opening last week due to perceived legal issues but seen as crucial in assessing the vice president’s financial standing.
Duterte’s absence was anticipated after Poa last week said the vice president won’t attend the Wednesday hearing.
In March, Duterte dismissed the complaints as a ‘recycle of the same accusations’ from last year’s impeachment, saying they lacked any statement of ‘ultimate facts’ that she could respond to.