Sara a no show at House impeach probe, urges lawmakers to junk case

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte is a no show at the start of the impeachment proceedings against her by the justice committee at the House of Representatives, preferring to devote her time to serving Filipinos by providing assistance "to ease the financial burden of the families most in need.". She also called on the commitee to junk the impeachment complaints against her for "lack of evidence." This comes after the camp of the Vice President confirmed on Tuesday that she would not appear on Wednesday. In a statement, Duterte said that the invitation was used to construct a media narrative of a "mini trial" based on her alleged refusal to answer and her failure to attend the hearing. "​In this manner, the hearings are being used by the House of Representatives to conduct yet another third fishing expedition against me," Duterte said. She reiterated that the country's current problems were the "looming closure of businesses, the loss of jobs, and the hardship faced by every Filipino family due to the continuous rise in the prices of goods,". "​Once again, politics is being prioritized over the welfare of millions of Filipinos who are struggling deeply due to the high cost of commodities," Duterte said. She reiterated that there was no rule that stated that a respondent in an impeachment complaint must personally attend the hearings. "​I have already submitted my Answer ad Cautelam. At this point, the Committee has nothing left to do but dismiss the complaints due to a clear lack of evidence," Duterte said. Duterte was alleged to have violated the Constitution and betrayed public trust, among others, over the misuse of intelligence funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was its secretary. Duterte has since resigned from DepEd.

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