House Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega and Jay Khonghun have pledged to continue efforts to hold Vice President Sara Duterte accountable for the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down the impeachment complaint against her as unconstitutional.
Ortega clarified that the High Court’s decision was limited to procedural matters and left unanswered the core issue — whether the funds handled by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary were misused.
“The accountability part was not resolved, so we intend to continue asking her to account for those funds and answer for how they have been handled or mishandled,” Ortega said.
Khonghun echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the 93-page decision tackled only the House impeachment process and “did not absolve VP Duterte of culpability” in the use of public funds.
“In other words, the Vice President is not yet off the hook on the use of this large amount of taxpayers’ money. We will pursue accountability on her part wherever it takes us,” Khonghun said.
Both lawmakers expressed hope that the Supreme Court might reconsider its ruling and allow the impeachment trial to move forward. If not, they said discussions on pursuing other avenues for accountability would resume after February 6, 2026.