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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider De Lima explains why she thinks VP Duterte is scared of an impeachment trial

De Lima explains why she thinks VP Duterte is scared of an impeachment trial

Published Jun 22, 2025 10:11 am

At A Glance

  • Incoming Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is convinced that the mere thought of a full blown Senate impeachment trial leaves Vice President Sara Duterte shaking in her shoes.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB, Facebook)
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB, Facebook)


Incoming Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is convinced that the mere thought of a full blown Senate impeachment trial leaves Vice President Sara Duterte shaking in her shoes.
“You can say, they’re really scared. I mean VP Sara is scared,” former senator De Lima said in an interview Saturday, June 21.
De Lima said this fear explains what she described as a coordinated strategy to delay or derail the Senate proceedings, including the filing of multiple legal motions, overseas trips and the possible use of an Ombudsman ruling to preempt the trial.
“This is really cause for concern kasi ang pinaka-objective is hangga’t maaari hindi dapat magkaroon ng trial proper. Hangga’t maaari hindi dapat lumabas ang mga ebidensya,” she said.
(This is really cause for concern because the main objective is to avoid having a formal trial if at all possible. As much as possible, evidence should not come out.)
De Lima, also a former Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary, is part of the 11-person House prosecution team that has been tasked to get a guilty verdict on Duterte based on seven articles of impeachment.
The Office of the Ombudsman, led by Duterte appointee Samuel Martires, recently ordered the Vice President to respond to plunder, technical malversation and other charges based on a report adopted by the House Committee on Good Government.
The order came rather out of the blue four months after the House endorsed articles of impeachment against Duterte. De Lima said if the Ombudsman dismisses the complaint, it can be used to weaken the prosecution’s case against the vice president.
Earlier, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, one of the senator-judges in the impeachment case, sought to dismiss the articles outright without a trial. The Senate, in another questionable move, instead opted to remand the documents back to the House.
The move was widely criticized by legal experts and viewed by the House prosecution as a stalling tactic. The Vice President’s camp has also filed an appearance “ad cautelam” before the impeachment court, indicating the possibility of future procedural challenges.
“Lahat ‘yan magkatugma-tugma. It could really part of the strategy na ‘yan na nakikita na, nababasa na (Those are all related. It could really part of the strategy that is now obvious),” De Lima said of these sequence of actions.
She also criticized Duterte’s continued absence from the country amid the escalating legal proceedings.
“Ito ang ginagawa niya ngayon, hindi mo na alam kung nagtatrabaho siya as VP. Kasi kung palagi na lang siyang abroad, nagme-meet ng mga supporters nila (With what she's doing right now, you can't tell anymore if she's still working as VP. Because she's always meeting her supporters abroad).
The latest is that I think she’s going or she left already for Australia to meet up and to have again there some sort of a rally. Iyung pauwiin si former president [Rodrigo] Duterte (A call to send former president Rodrigo Duterte home),” De Lima said.
She also confirmed that the impeachment articles include allegations related to bank transactions and the use of falsified documents to liquidate public funds.
“Kasama nga ‘yun. Kasama nga ‘yun sa charges. There are about two articles dun sa articles of impeachment na covered yan. And I think, isa yan sa mga bagay sa mga charges na takot si VP Sara,” Duterte said.
(That’s included. That’s part of the charges. There are about two articles in the articles of impeachment that cover that. And I think that’s one of the things in the charges that VP Sara is afraid of.)
Duterte, she added, appears to be deploying both legal and public relations strategies to control the narrative and disrupt the process.
“So they’re doing everything. Sa legal side of course hiring a big firm and ang dami nila 16 lawyers. And then itong kanyang mga foreign trip blitz part of propaganda (On the legal side of course hiring a big firm and hiring a big group of 16 lawyers. And then this foreign trip blitz of hers is part of the propaganda),” De Lima said.
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