VP Sara: Impeachment complaint just a 'scrap of paper'
VICE President Sara Duterte said the impeachment complaint filed by leftist groups and endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima and Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña is nothing more than “a scrap of paper,” speaking for the first time since the case was filed.
Opposition groups responded by saying the time for excuses was over, and that Duterte should be prepared to go down in history as the first vice president to be impeached — not once, but twice.
The complaint, filed by Tindig Pilipinas, was among the complaints transmitted to the Office of the Speaker on Thursday.
In a statement on Saturday, Duterte said the filing of impeachment complaints against her is "nothing new" and was expected following her resignation from the Marcos administration.
"This is a move that they did because the president cannot explain the decline of our country to poverty due to his neglect and vice," Duterte said, without explaining what "vice" the president had.
She said the 19th Congress opened an “investigation in aid of legislation,” not to create laws, but to go on a "fishing expedition" for their planned impeachment case against her.
"They continue to raise the issue of 'Mary Grace Piattos' as an example of corruption, despite multiple investigations saying that they have not seen any direct violation on the use of confidential funds," she said.
This was in reference to documents showing that persons using obviously fictitious names were recipients of confidential funds from her office.
But Duterte offered no explanation for the bogus names, and said instead that congressmen were promised projects “for later release” in exchange for their signatures on the impeachment papers.
Duterte also said that Akbayan has no credibility to endorse and file an impeachment complaint, noting that their leader, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, has been open about her intention to run for president, which she said is a clear indication of a political motive behind their move.
She highlighted a speech in 2024 where Hontiveros said that a full-blown Duterte comeback is a "real and present danger" and that the Dutertes are being supported by China.
"It is clear that Akbayan's move is just a form of harassment and an abuse in the process of impeachment," Duterte said.
In the end, Duterte said, the real fight is not just on a single person or a group, but a fight for the truth and dignity of the nation.
"I hope this is a reminder for everyone that the power of impeachment should not be used as a weapon for politics but as a sacred process for justice and accountability," Duterte said.
Responding to Duterte's statement, de Lima said her comment that the complaint "is just a paper with no evidence" is about the same paper that she has not answered, noting that she was impeached on the same grounds that were endorsed by Cendaña.
"For the complainants and for us — the endorsers of the second complaint — the evidence is strong. We are confident that it is sufficient in form and substance to move forward to evidentiary hearings in the House Committee on Justice and to be transmitted to the Senate for trial," de Lima said.
Akbayan said Duterte was too desperate and that she should stop giving excuses.
“For something that she insists has no merit, it rattled her enough to make her release a video message — not to answer the charges, but to desperately attack us,” they said in Filipino on Facebook.
“Enough excuses. Prepare to go down in history as the first vice president to be impeached — not once, but twice,” they added.
In a Messenger chat to The Manila Times, Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino-Dee said the vice president is still silent about the grave threats that she issued against high-ranking government officials.
“We cannot think of any justification for why such threats of violence and killing would not be considered an impeachable offense, but we are open to listening to the arguments and evidence that her camp will present on this matter so that we can understand her perspective — especially since it appears that many of those she threatened have also committed numerous wrongs against the people,” he said.
Dee also said that this was also his stance on the issue of the vice president’s confidential and intelligence funds.
“We are likewise open to hearing the arguments and evidence from her side that would counter the evidence already gathered by the quad committee. I understand that they are looking for the proper venue to present these, and in my view, that venue is this impeachment process,” the organizer of the Trillion Peso March said.
“I don’t think the impeachment process will have an effect on the elections. If VP Sara is convicted, her strong support will simply transfer to whoever she endorses,” he added.
