Sara to take psych exam if lawmakers do the same

By all means, Vice President Sara Duterte said she would undergo a psychiatric test as some critics have suggested in the wake of her "Drag Me to Hell" press briefing - but only if reelectionist members of the House of Representatives would agree to do the same.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

"I'll have two tests: drug and neuropsychiatric. They are running as reelectionists so what we'll do is... they keep saying I'm unstable, but I see them as unstable too.

But all the reelectionist Young Guns, all congressional candidates have to do a drug test," Duterte told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Business Conference and Expo.

After her speech, the Vice President told reporters she found all her detractors "unstable," especially those in the House of Representatives, who she claimed kept on attacking her but easily got offended when she pushed back.

She said all voters need to demand their district congressional candidates to provide negative drug test results because "they are unstable." The tests, she said, should be administered by an independent third party hair follicle testing center, that these tests should be taken "now" and televised for people to see the legitimacy of the process.

"We're asking the help of the Philippine Medical Association to set the guide. We can't do it three months from now because those people will just stop using drugs during that period. We should do it now. Let's all have drug tests," she said, stressing she was "not bluffing."

Challenge accepted

The House's Young Guns, meanwhile, have accepted Duterte's challenge, but on one condition: she must agree to testify under oath before the House Blue Ribbon committee and explain allegations of fund misuse by the Office of the Vice President (ÖVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

"We are more than willing to take the drug test and psychiatric exam, as the Vice President suggested, but we will not allow her to divert the real issue, which is the allegations of fund misuse and graft and corruption against her," said House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun.