Vice President Sara Duterte described her looming impeachment trial as her “crucifixion” and “my bloodbath” as the Marcos administration allegedly pursues her political persecution.
VP Sara likens impeachment trial to her 'crucifixion'
Published Jun 1, 2025 09:24 am
She said this during a press conference alongside the “ICC, send Duterte home” rally staged by Duterte supporters at the Laan van Reagan en Gorbatjov in The Hague, Netherlands.
Vice President Sara Duterte meets the supporters of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte after visiting her father at the International Criminal Court detention facility. (OVP Photo)
“We have always said that the impeachment is a political persecution. It is the administration going after me after I resigned from the Cabinet,” she told reporters on Saturday, May 31.
“And if it's a persecution, it's some sort of crucifixion against me. And so when there's a crucifixion, there's blood. So it's a bloodbath. My bloodbath. So, I'm just sad that many people refuse to understand the context wherein I give statements,” she added.
The Vice President lamented that “many misunderstood the word bloodbath” and “many didn't want to understand” after she earlier remarked that she wants her impeachment trial to push through because she wanted a “bloodbath.”
Some lawmakers raised concerns about Duterte’s statement, saying that it sets a “terrible example” for the youth.
Impeachment preparations
Duterte said her lawyers have been preparing for the impeachment since 2023 after she heard ACT Partylist Rep. France Castro mention it.
In various capacities throughout her political career, many lawyers have handled the cases filed against her, including her own father-in-law, lawyer Lucas Carpio, as well as lawyer Michael Poa, and the Office of the Solicitor General for the petition seeking the Supreme Court’s (SC) dismissal of the cases assailing her office’s confidential funds.
For the impeachment raps, the Vice President’s office has always said it would be better to ask the Fortun-Narvasa-Salazar Law Offices as their lawyers are handling the case.
“From the defense, the people can expect that they will do their utmost, their best, in protecting the rights, my rights, as an accused in an impeachment trial. And they will do their utmost as well to answer the allegations, the accusations,” she assured.
But personally, Duterte shared that she is prepared emotionally and physically as “I don't feel anything at all anymore about the impeachment.”
“Physically, I prepare for everything by making sure that I get the eight hours of sleep and the vitamins that the doctors recommend that I take,” she added.
'House harassment'
However, Duterte questioned the speed by which she was impeached by the House of Representatives on Feb. 5.
“How fast do you get signatures of 300 plus congressmen in just a span of a few hours wherein we question if the --- if the members of the House of Representatives who signed, read the articles of impeachment,” she asked.
She alleged that the lawmakers were already trying to “fish evidence” during the budget hearing of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) but “when they failed to get evidence from the budget hearing, they proceeded to investigate in aids of legislation about confidential funds.”
“And yet it was only the Office of the Vice President that was invited to that hearing in aid of legislation and no other department was invited to speak about confidential funds,” she added.
During the inquiry into her office’s budget, Duterte recalled her staff being “harassed, threatened,” and after the House “failed to get evidence from that investigation,” the Articles of Impeachment against her were filed.
The Vice President claimed that at least three of the articles were filed without following the proper procedure.
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.