They were just doing their job – VP Sara

MANILA, Philippines —  They were “merely doing their jobs,” Vice President Sara Duterte said yesterday, in defense of her four officials who were cited in contempt and ordered detained by a House panel for again skipping a hearing on her alleged misuse of funds, especially her confidential and intelligence funds.

At a press conference in Bacolod City, Duterte slammed members of the committee on good government and public accountability of the House of Representatives for citing in contempt the OVP officials – special disbursement officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, SDO Sunshine Fajarda, education assistant secretary Edward Fajarda and assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio.

“I have no qualms if they’re trying to dismantle me. My problem is they’re dragging people into their agenda when all they’ve ever done is to work at the OVP,” Duterte said,

The Vice President said the officials of the OVP’s central office were busy arranging the thanksgiving activities at satellite offices nationwide for the OVP’s 89th anniversary this week.

“Those who were unable to attend were preparing the activities for the OVP’s anniversary. So, many personalities in the central office went to satellite offices because we have various thanksgiving activities for the anniversary in all the different satellite offices,” she added.

Duterte assured her officials facing sanctions of her full support.

Asked whether she would attend future hearings on her public spending, Duterte said she was now focused on the OVP’s anniversary activities this year and next year for the 90th anniversary.

“I’ll think about whether I want to be quarreling (with lawmakers). If I want, maybe I’ll attend. For now, I think I’d be doing that in January instead because the thanksgiving activities for the 89th anniversary and our introduction to the 90th anniversary of the OVP’s is going to be busy,” she added.

She also said she was leaving it up to her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to decide whether to attend or skip the next House quad committee hearing on extrajudicial killings and the deadly drug war during his administration.

“That is his prerogative and I don’t know why he’s not attending the quad comm hearings but whatever his decision is, I will support that,” she added.

Working alone

The Vice President also said she prefers to work alone now that she has completely severed ties with the Marcos administration.

“I don’t like crowds so I’m completely fine working alone. It’s practically the same. When I was (part of the administration), they were attacking me. Now that I’m not, they’re still attacking me. If I have a preference based on my personality, I don’t like crowds. So, I can work alone,” Duterte said.

She maintained that the probes she and her office are facing before the House of Representatives are “politically motivated,” initiated by certain members of the Marcos family.

“It’s politically motivated because I don’t know why (First Lady) Liza Marcos is so furious with me… It’s because of my laughter when former president Duterte called President (Marcos) a drug addict,” she said.

“We can’t do anything about that. That’s her personal take and feelings,” she added.

Meanwhile, Duterte also underscored how the supposed political attacks against her could be connected to Speaker Martin Romualdez’s alleged aspiration to run for president in 2028.

“Martin, we know he really wants to run for president and he cannot make it in a popular vote. He’ll just do Charter change and run (for) prime minister,” Duterte said.

She also revealed she remains in contact with Sen. Imee Marcos, whose friendship with the Vice President came under suspicion after the latter’s  “drag me to hell” press conference last month.

“When I messaged her, she said we don’t have problems. We regularly exchange messages,” Duterte added.

Leaving politics?

Responding to her father urging her to leave politics “the soonest,” Duterte said “that time will come.”

“I also want that, but my problem is I need to answer to 32.2 million Filipinos who gave their trust and confidence in me to be the Vice President. We’ll reach that day when I’m not going to be involved in politics anymore but life is uncertain. We can only make plans but it’s always God’s purpose that shall prevail,” she said.

The Vice President also reiterated that she would wait until 2026 to decide whether to run for the presidency in 2028. “That’s (running for president) not yet in my plans,” she added.

The alliance between Marcos and Duterte won them the election in 2022. Their partnership soured starting last year when the House of Representatives led by Romualdez – a Marcos cousin – stripped Duterte’s office of confidential funds.

Their falling out escalated with the Vice President’s locking horns with the First Lady.

In June, Duterte began speaking against the Marcos family after quitting as education secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

In her most scathing verbal attack to date, Duterte said Marcos “does not know how to be president” during her two-hour press conference recently.

She also questioned the role being played by the First Lady in the Marcos administration.

Last September, she released a series of taped interviews where she accused Romualdez and House appropriations committee chair Rep. Zaldy Co of meddling in DepEd’s budget for classrooms in the past two years.