By Filane Mikee Cervantes
MANILA – The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has postponed its scheduled Friday hearing to allow the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to proceed with its investigation into Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged assassination threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., its chairperson announced on Thursday.
In a press conference, committee chair and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the decision to postpone was reached to avoid any overlap with the NBI’s probe, which he described as a matter of national security.
“Kami po kanina ay nag-desisyon na i-postpone yung committee hearing for tomorrow to pave way sa imbestigasyon ng NBI nang sa ganun ay hindi naman po kami nagagamit bilang excuse para masagot po yung complaint dito (We decided earlier to postpone tomorrow’s committee hearing to give way to the NBI investigation so that we are not used as an excuse to evade addressing the complaint),” Chua said.
The postponement came after Duterte had requested the NBI to reschedule her summons to prioritize her attendance at the House inquiry.
Duterte explained that she wanted to be present at the hearing to support her staff members during the House probe on the alleged misuse of PHP612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as education secretary in 2022 and 2023.
La Union 1st District Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V highlighted the gravity of Duterte’s statement that she has contracted an assassin to target the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Ortega described the situation as deeply alarming, stating that the threats themselves posed a serious issue requiring immediate investigation.
“Don’t get the committee wrong. These are both equally important proceedings… Pero napaka-importante rin po na masagot yung mga tanong at kaukulang imbestigasyon ng NBI, kasi hindi naman po biro ito. These are grave threats (These are both equally important proceedings… But it’s crucial to address the questions and investigation by the NBI because these are no trivial matters. These are grave threats),” Ortega said.
Chua announced that findings from the committee’s investigation would eventually be formalized into proposed legislation.
He, however, did not provide a timeline for rescheduling the postponed hearing.
“Magpa-file po kami ng House bills na naging produkto po nitong imbestigasyon (We will file House bills that are the result of this investigation),” Chua said.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig 2nd District Rep. Pammy Zamora earlier called for the postponement of the hearing on the Vice President’s statements.
“These are serious allegations that demand Vice President Duterte’s full attention and cooperation,” Zamora said.
“It is in the best interest of all parties and the nation to allow the Vice President to focus on this urgent matter and fully cooperate with the NBI investigation,” she added. (with a report from Zaldy De Layola/PNA)
