MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon on Monday criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s absence from her impeachment trial, more than a month since it began.
“This marks the fifth week—and the eleventh day—of the proceedings, yet our Vice President is still absent from the Senate impeachment trial,” Ridon said in Filipino in a chance interview with reporters.
“We call upon her: Madam Vice President, wherever you may be in the world, face the trial. Face the truth,” he added.
Members of the House of Representatives have repeatedly called on Duterte to attend her trial after she was a no-show at the chamber’s hearings on the impeachment complaints her.
The vice president is not obligated to show up at her trial as she is duly represented by her defense team.
The only team Duterte set foot on Senate premises was on Day 2 of the hearing where she briefly met with her lawyers but left before the proceedings.
Ridon questioned Duterte's frequent overseas trips in 2025 and 2026, 91 days in total, and pointed out that although the vice president reportedly used personal funds for her trips, the expenses did not appear to align with her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
Duterte’s most recent foreign travels included stops in Qatar, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The Office of the Vice President earlier said these were a mix of personal engagements and meetings with the different Filipino communities.
“When we calculate the total cost of her trips, combining airfare and daily expenses based on the United Nations daily subsistence allowance, it amounts to around 8 million,” Ridon said.
“This means we need to cross-reference that figure—whether it is 8 million or, say, 5 million in travel expenses incurred by the vice president with her SALN,” he added and reasoned out that the figures does not seem to align with Duterte’s monthly income as the second highest government official.
The lawmaker said at least P3 million income is needed per month to fund the travels abroad, far off from the monthly base salary for the vice president of the Philippines that is P398,700 under the government standardization framework.
This translates to an annual basic salary of roughly P4.78 million, exclusive of standard government allowances, bonuses, and additional office funds
