Ortega V: VP Duterte using legal means to harass and divert from impeachment

La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V urged Vice President Sara Duterte to cease utilizing legal processes for purposes of harassment and diversion from her impeachment case.

Ortega accused the Vice President and her allies of filing numerous complaints against House leaders who supported her impeachment, characterizing these actions as an abuse of legal processes intended to intimidate and distract.

The petitions followed the filing before the Ombudsman of falsification of legislative documents and graft charges against House leaders in connection with the reported insertion of a "whopping P241 billion" in the bicameral report of this year's budget.

He highlighted that complaints are being filed before the Supreme Court and the Office of the Ombudsman against lawmakers who upheld the rule of law during the impeachment proceedings.

Both Duterte and a group of Mindanao lawyers allied with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, asked the SC last week to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the impeachment trial.

The congressman asserted that the House of Representatives acted within its constitutional authority and will not be deterred by legal intimidation tactics.

Ortega concluded that these legal actions are a transparent effort to intimidate the House, shift focus from substantive issues, and generate noise to mislead the public.