PHSARA'S 'BUDGET-FOR-SIGNATURES' CLAIM DISMISSED AS PROPAGANDA — HOUSE SPOX
House impeachment spokesperson Atty. Antonio Audie Bucoy on Tuesday dismissed Vice President Sara Duterte's claim that lawmakers signed the impeachment complaint against her without reading it and in exchange for budget allocations, calling it pure propaganda.
"Unang-una, ito pong mga pumirma ng impeachment, ng Articles of Impeachment, ito po naman ay mga mambabatas eh. Hindi po ito pipirma ng hindi nila nauunawaan kung anong pinirmahan nila. Especially it is under oath. Pag under oath, that is under pain of perjury," Bucoy said. "Hindi naman nila siguro isusuong sarili nila sa ganoon. So palagay ko ay propaganda na lang 'yan."
Duterte earlier alleged that most of the 215 lawmakers who signed the complaint had not read the full document and were merely promised budgetary incentives.
Bucoy countered that the Vice President has only herself to blame for the situation, citing her refusal to answer questions under oath during House hearings on confidential funds.
"Kung ito pong mga katanungan na ito ay sinagot na ng VP during the Quad Comm (sic) at nanumpa siya, eh di sana wala tayo dito ngayon," he said.
The impeachment complaint, now pending before the Senate, includes charges related to Duterte's use of over P600 million in confidential funds during her time as Vice President and concurrent DepEd Secretary. Lawmakers have flagged the spending as opaque and potentially in violation of procurement laws.