VP attendance may affect jurisdiction challenge—House public accounts

With no assurances of attendance from Vice President Sara Duterte, the House Committee on Justice is set to proceed its April 14 impeachment-related hearings—even as officials warn that her participation could carry “legal implications.”

During a forum in Quezon City on April 10, House Committee on Public Accounts Chair Jerry Ridon stated the congress is not expecting Duterte to attend the proceedings.

“We [the House] have no expectations. The Vice President is free to appear and present evidence in all the hearings,” Ridon explained in Filipino.

He added that her camp is questioning the committee’s jurisdiction before the high court, making any voluntary participation potentially contradictory.

“Because it is jurisdictional—their question before the Supreme Court is that the House Committee on Justice allegedly has no jurisdiction to proceed,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the committee chair disclosed that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will be invited to testify during the proceedings.

Ridon said the agency is expected to verify whether “Mary Grace Piatos” and other listed recipients of confidential funds are real individuals.

He stated the inquiry aims to establish the authenticity of identities linked to the alleged disbursement of confidential funds.

To recall, the development comes as lawmakers continue to scrutinize issues surrounding the Vice President’s use of such funds as part of the broader impeachment process.