Vice President Sara Duterte’s refusal to take an oath to tell the truth during last week’s congressional hearing at the House of Representatives would not set a precedent for future inquiries, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said on Sunday.
Chua noted that the rules of the lower chamber explicitly required all witnesses and resource persons to testify under oath to ensure transparency and truthfulness in their testimonies.
“We require all witnesses and resource persons to take an oath so that we can know if they are telling the truth,” he said. Chua chaired the panel that sought to address the criticisms of Duterte with respect to the House lawmakers’ deliberation on the proposed 2025 budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
During last Wednesday’s hearing, Duterte broke rules and traditions by refusing to take an oath, arguing that she was invited to attend the hearing as a ‘resource person’ and not as ‘witness.’ Her ally, former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo defended her position.
Chua said the committee’s decision to allow Duterte to speak without taking the oath was out of respect for her office, but such a courtesy will not be extended to others in future hearings.
“It does not mean that just because we let this incident happen, that would set a precedent. That would never happen again,” he said, adding all other witnesses would be required to take an oath as per House rules.
The hearing was called by the House committee on good government and public accountability to investigate the alleged misuse of funds by the OVP, particularly regarding its confidential and socioeconomic funds.
