By CESAR JOLITO III

House Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has firmly denied allegations that lawmakers were offered financial incentives in exchange for supporting the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Benitez issued the statement following claims by Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, who alleged that certain members of Congress were promised funding for their respective districts in return for backing the impeachment move.

In a television interview, Benitez dismissed the accusation, saying he had no knowledge of any such arrangement.

“Wala akong natanggap, wala akong narinig, walang nagsabi sa akin ng ganyan,” Benitez said, emphasizing that he had neither received nor been approached regarding any alleged offer tied to the impeachment vote.

The lawmaker also called for restraint in public discourse, stressing the importance of basing discussions on verified information.

“It is important that discussions like this remain grounded in facts, and that we uphold transparency and integrity in the work that we do,” Benitez added.

The House committee on justice is set to resume its hearing on Monday, May 4, to approve the committee report of the concluded four-day clarificatory hearing on the complaints filed against Duterte.

The committee, in a unanimous vote, had found probable cause to impeach the vice president.

The Constitution requires the vote of at least one-third of the 318 members of the House, or 106, for the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate./CJ, WDJ