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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Impeachment trial to clear my name—VP Sara

Impeachment trial to clear my name—VP Sara

Published May 31, 2025 09:55 am  |  Updated May 31, 2025 03:06 pm
Vice President Sara Duterte believes that an impeachment trial before the senator-judges will help clear her name from allegations that she misused public funds, particularly the controversial confidential funds.

Vice President Sara Duterte answers questions from the media during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands. (OVP Photo)


In an interview with reporters after her visit to former president Rodrigo Duterte at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday, May 30, the Vice President agreed with a recent survey result saying she should face the impeachment raps against her.

“Oh, I totally agree. Kasama ako doon sa 88 percent na iyan na nagsasabi at ako ay parang thankful sa opportunity na malinis iyong pangalan ko at masagot iyong mga akusasyon sa akin (I am with the 88 percent who say that and I am thankful for the opportunity to clean my name and to answer the accusations against me),” she said.

A recent SWS survey showed that 88 percent of the respondents wanted Duterte to face the impeachment case.

However, the Vice President was mum about Senate President Francis Escudero’s decision to move the start of the impeachment hearing to June 11 instead of the initial schedule of June 2 because he wanted the 19th Congress to prioritize pending legislative measures.

“Wala naman siyang epekto sa akin. Nag-iisip lang ako kung ano 'yung epekto nung delay doon sa kaso (It doesn’t have an effect on me. I’m only thinking about the effect of the delay on the case),” she said.

“Pero iiwan na namin iyan sa mga lawyers namin, sa defense impeachment lawyers, para pag-isipan kung ano ang posibleng epekto nun sa kaso kung mayroon man (But we’ll leave it to the lawyers, to our defense impeachment lawyers, so they can discuss the possible effect of that to our case, if there’s any),” Duterte added.

There have been talks that the impeachment trial against the Vice President might not push through as the 19th Congress, where the Articles of Impeachment were approved, is set to end on June 30.

The jurisdiction of the incoming 20th Congress on an impeachment case filed during the previous Congress will still be legally questioned, political pundits said.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte last Feb. 5. The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate on the same day, but Escudero did not set a special session for the upper chamber to take up the impeachment during the recess.

In the verified complaint sent to Senate, there were seven Articles of Impeachment—betrayal of public trust for an assassination threat against President Marcos, his wife, and the House Speaker, betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption due to the misuse of public funds, betrayal of public trust and bribery within the Department of Education (DepEd), violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust due to unexplained wealth, commission of high crimes due to involvement in extrajudicial killings, betrayal of public trust due to alleged destabilization plots, and betrayal of public trust due to her unbecoming conduct as Vice President.

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