MANILA – Some members of the House of Representatives have urged Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio to step down if she is no longer interested in performing her duties and functions.
Jil Bongalon of Ako Bicol Partylist stated that Duterte-Carpio and the Office of the Vice President’’s absence in House’s deliberation for their 2025 budget is an indication of her disinterest.
“Kung hindi na siya interesado sa kanyang duties and functions as Vice President, we can ask the Vice President to step down,” said Bongalon, the Vice Chair of House committee on appropriations.
“Consistent naman ‘yung Vice President natin, in the sense na hindi siya dumalo nung Committee of Appropriations budget hearing, pati dito sa plenary, hindi dumalo,” he added.
David Suarez of Quezon Province 2nd District, for his part, said that the calls for Duterte-Carpio’s resignation was a sentiment being shared by House members.
“Calls for Vice President to step down was clearly a sentiment being shared by a lot of (House) members,” Suarez, who served as the House’s Deputy Speaker.
Bongalon and Suarez’s remark came amid rumors that majority members of the House are plotting the impeachment of Duterte-Carpio.
Duterte-Carpio and her staff once again did not show up during the plenary deliberation of the OVP budget for next year, claiming that she was in Vinzons and Daet in Camarines Norte and Legazpi in Albay.
“The Vice President was on the road today talking to the people about the current events in our country,” the OVP said in a statement sent to Panay News on Tuesday.
“She made stops in Vinzons and Daet, Camarines Norte and Legazpi, Albay. It is quite easy to confirm her activities through social media posts of the residents in these areas,” the office added.
Duterte-Carpio has previously said that she is leaving it up to House Speaker Ferdinand “Martin” Romualdez and his allies on what they will do with the OVP budget.
The Vice President added that she does not fear with the possible “zero budget” for her office as they can continue their operations without it./PN
