VICE President Sara Duterte on Monday sought the dismissal of the impeachment complaints against her, saying they were constitutionally infirm.
The impeachment articles against Duterte consist of four primary charges: misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth, bribery and corruption, and public threats.
In response to these complaints, Duterte’s lawyers said the articles of impeachment were “constitutionally infirm, procedurally defective, and substantially deficient.” Through her legal team led by Michael Poa, Duterte submitted her reply to the four Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.
“It is always one of our prayers (dismissal of the charges). There were infirmities before the complaints were sent to the Senate,” Poa said in English and Filipino, in a press briefing after submitting the vice president’s reply to Senate Secretary Jose Luis Montales.
The vice president’s lawyers said the allegations against her “fall short of the threshold.” “For these reason, the vice president respectfully submits that the articles of impeachment suffer from fatal constitutional, procedural and substantive defects,” Duterte’s camp said.
“They fail to satisfy the standards required by the Constitution, and accordingly should be dismissed,” her legal team said.
Duterte’s lawyers said the House Committee of Justice conducted a trial on the impeachment articles. “But trial can be done only by the Senate.”
Helping voters decide
Batangas Second District Rep. Gerville Luistro, who leads the House prosecution team, said the impeachment trial will help the voting public decide whether Duterte deserves their confidence.
“That is why impeachment trial should happen because considering that she has pronounced already her intention to run for president in 2028, this impeachment trial will help the sovereign Filipino decide whether or not she deserves the faith and confidence of the electorate,” Luistro said.
The House, voting 257-25 with nine abstentions, impeached Duterte on May 11, 2026 over alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth allegedly amassed, alleged bribery, and saying that she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if she was killed. The House then sent the impeachment articles to the Senate for trial.
