Romer Butuyan 
LUBHANG kaduda-duda sa mata ng isang kongresista ang daang-milyong halaga ng cash withdrawal ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa confidential funds na inilaan para sa kanyang tanggapan.
Sa paglilitis ng senate impeachment court kasong kinakaharap ni Duterte, partikular na tinukoy ni Manila Rep. Benny Abante na tumatayong chairman ng House Committee on Human Rights ang testimonya ng dalawang dating branch manager ng Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank).
Para kay former LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch manager Violeta Constantino, “unusual” on hindi pangkaraniwan ang cash withdrawal ng P612.5 million confidential funds.
“The question is not only whether the transactions were legal. The bigger question is whether they were proper. That is what accountability demands from a public official, especially the Vice President,” wika ni Abante.
“Public officials are not judged solely by the minimum standards of legality. They are also expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety, prudence and accountability in handling public funds,” dugtong ng mambabatas.
Kasunod ng pagtestigo ni Constantino at isang pang dating LBP manager sa pangalang Nenita Camposano, naniniwala si Abante hindi lang usapin sa proseso ng bank withdrawal ang dapat timbangin.
“If everything about these transactions was ordinary, why did veteran bank managers themselves describe them as unusual? That is a legitimate question, and the Vice President owes the Filipino people an answer,” punto ng Manila solon.
“The issue is not simply guilt. The issue is whether these actions were proper and whether they reflected the ethical and moral authority expected of the country’s second-highest official. That is precisely what the impeachment court is now examining.”
