AS a test of credibility, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Tuesday urged Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to personally attend the next hearing of the House Committee on Justice on April 22, take her oath, sign a bank waiver, and directly answer allegations raised by resource person Ramil L. Madriaga.
Ortega said the combination of sworn testimony and a bank waiver would remove any doubt and allow documents—not narratives—to settle the issue.
The call came after the panel heard Madriaga under oath on April 14 and signed bank waiver, where he testified following clearance from a Manila court. House members earlier described him as a key resource person in the impeachment proceedings.
Ortega said the next step is straightforward: the vice president should respond under the same conditions.
“Ang kailangan ng publiko ngayon sa impeachment, under oath para sa katotohanan at hindi no-show,” Ortega said.
“Kung talagang gusto niyang pabulaanan si Madriaga, huwag sa caption, huwag sa press statement, huwag sa paikut-ikot na soundbite. Humarap siya sa komite, manumpa, at sumagot,” he added.
The La Union House leader stressed that signing a bank waiver would be a decisive move toward transparency, as it would allow the verification of financial records tied to the allegations.
A bak waiver, Ortega said, enables authorities to access bank documents that could either confirm or debunk claims of undisclosed assets, cutting through speculation and competing statements.
Ortega pointed out that without such a step, public debate remains confined to claims and denials, instead of evidence.
“Sa ngayon, ang isang panig ay may testigong nanumpa at humarap. Ang kabila ay may talking points at media rounds,” Ortega said. “Hindi pantay ang bigat ng dalawang iyan. Ang panunumpa may legal na pananagutan.”
He added that a bank waiver, combined with sworn testimony, would place both sides on equal footing—subject to verification, documentation, and legal accountability.
The deputy speaker noted that Duterte’s camp, through counsel Salvador Paolo A. Panelo Jr., has already dismissed Madriaga’s statements as “pure fiction,” but said the proper venue to prove that claim is the hearing itself.
“Kung ‘pure fiction’ pala ang testimonya ni Madriaga katulad ng pakulo nila, dapat humarap si VP Sara sa Justice panel at mag-under oath,” Ortega said.
Ortega echoed the earlier position of former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Domingo “Egon” Cayosa that fairness demands the same standard, noting that Madriaga had already testified under oath and exposed himself to possible perjury liability.
He emphasized that the issue is not about theatrics but about verifiable truth.
“Hindi puwedeng ang isang tao ay pinapasan ang bigat ng oath habang ang kabilang panig ay gusto commentary lang ang dala,” he said. “Kung gusto mong maniwala ang publiko sa denial mo, ilagay mo rin sa ilalim ng panunumpa.”
Ortega added that inconsistencies, if any, should be tested through documents and questioning—not used to avoid participation.
“Kung may mali sa sinabi ng testigo, itapat ang tamang sagot. Kung may butas, ilahad ang dokumento. Kung may kasinungalingan, harapin at pabulaanan,” he said. “Pero gawin sa tamang lugar kung saan puwede ang clarificatory questions katulad ng House Committee on Justice at puwedeng ilagay sa rekord. Iyon ang respeto sa proseso.”
He reiterated that the House panel is not determining guilt at this stage but is focused on establishing probable cause based on evidence and testimony.
Still, Ortega said that process is best served when all parties submit to the same level of scrutiny.
“Ang taumbayan hindi naghihintay ng mas marami pang statement na ipinapadaan sa iba,” he said. “Ang hinihintay nila ay ang mismong bise presidente. Humarap, manumpa, at sumagot siya.”
