HOUSE Committee on Public Accounts Chair Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list on Saturday rejected repeated claims by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s camp that the impeachment inquiry is a “fishing expedition,” saying the scale of evidence uncovered shows a clear and substantial financial trail.
“Hindi lang ho pating ang nakita natin. Balyena ho ang nakita doon sa P6.77 billion na pinag-uusapan,” Ridon said at the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
Ridon said the figures cited in the hearings demonstrate that the inquiry is far from speculative, countering repeated claims by the defense that the proceedings were merely exploratory.
He pointed to detailed financial records discussed during the hearings of the House Committee on Justice, including P6.77 billion in total bank transactions involving Duterte and her spouse, broken down into P4.4 billion in inflows, P1.5 billion in outflows not reflected in Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and P2.8 billion in supposed remaining balances that were also not declared.
“Hindi ho ito haka-haka. Ito ay base sa mga dokumento at record na inilatag sa pagdinig,” Ridon, a lawyer and a member of the House Committee on Justice, said.
Ridon also dismissed the recurring assertion of Duterte’s camp that the impeachment complaints are defective, saying the argument has been recycled throughout the proceedings without basis.
“Hindi po totoo na defective ang impeachment complaints. Isang buwan na ho nilang inuulit-ulit iyan,” he said.
He stressed that the financial trail, supported by official records and sworn testimony from government agencies, forms a solid evidentiary foundation for the case, alongside allegations involving P612.5 million in allegedly misused confidential funds and supposed threats against the country’s top officials.
Ridon reiterated that the scale, detail, and consistency of the evidence directly contradict the narrative that the House inquiry was a “fishing expedition,” emphasizing that what has been uncovered points to concrete and verifiable transactions rather than mere suspicion
