Amid the Request of the House Justice Panel, Custodian of Ombudsman of SALNs to Attend Hearing
Ombudsman Boying Remulla confirmed that they will submit certified true copies of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives’ Justice Committee.
Two (2) impeachment raps against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte were found sufficient in form, substance, and grounds by the House Committee on Justice. The panel has previously set different dates for the hearing of the impeachment complaints.
However, the Vice President skipped the first House panel hearing on the impeachment raps against her. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s camp believes that the “proper forum” to discuss the impeachment complaints is allegedly the Senate.
Atty. Michael Poa, the spokesperson of the 16-person legal team of the Vice President, previously stressed that Duterte is supposedly not required to personally appear at the hearing. He also claimed that he is willing to read and attend the hearing following an issue of a subpoena against him.
Four impeachment complaints were actually filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte before the House of Representatives’ Office of the Secretary General. The Justice panel set aside the first one as it violated the one-year rule ban. The second one was withdrawn by its complainants, the Tindig Pilipinas.
Instead, Tindig Pilipinas threw their support to the third impeachment complaint filed against the Vice President. It raised the following grounds:
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount of not less than PHP 112.5 million of confidential funds allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by corrupting and bribing officials of the DepEd
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in contracting to murder or assassinate the president, the first lady, and the former speaker of the House
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her SALN
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in committing acts of political destabilization and the high crimes of sedition and insurrection
Ombudsman Boying Remulla previously confirmed that they will provide the House justice panel with the SALN of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte amid the impeachment proceedings. He stressed that it is supposedly part of the legal process.
Recently, amid a subpoena issued by the House to the Ombudsman to produce the SALN of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, Ombudsman Boying Remulla confirmed that they will adhere to the order. Based on a report on PhilStar, the subpoena was issued by House Speaker Faustino Dy III, justice committee chairperson Representative Gerville Luistro and Secretary General Cheloy Garafil.
However, based on the report, Ombudsman Boying Remulla will not be the one who will attend the House hearing on April 14. According to the country’s chief graft-buster, the document will be brought by their custodian.
“The custodian of the SALN will be the one to bring them. I will not attend personally because I am not the one holding those documents. The officer who has custody will bring them, as that person has personal knowledge of the records being requested,” Remulla said.
Previously, amid the impeachment process, a member of the House slammed the camp of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte for questioning the impeachment proceedings amid previously expressed readiness to face it.
