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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Ortega responds to VP Duterte spox Castelo: Impeachment trial cheaper than P612.5M

Ortega responds to VP Duterte spox Castelo: Impeachment trial cheaper than P612.5M

Published Jul 17, 2025 06:03 pm

At A Glance

  • La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V chided Vice President Sara Duterte's spokesperson, Ruth Castelo, by saying that the impeachment trial couldn't cost more than P612.5 million.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
(MANILA BULLETIN)

La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V chided Vice President Sara Duterte's spokesperson, Ruth Castelo, by saying that the impeachment trial couldn't cost more than P612.5 million.
This, after Castelo said that the impeachment trial against her boss, Vice President Duterte, would cost the government “millions and millions” of pesos.
Castelo went as far to say that the country would be “very lucky” if the Supreme Court (SC) blocks the impeachment case, which she described as “technically defective from the beginning".
Ortega did not take these statements sitting down in a press conference at the House of Representatives Thursday, July 17.
"Well, it’s not defective as per my opinion, so I guess she better reconsider her statements po,” Ortega said. “Pero siyempre, normal naman na sasabihin niya ’yun (But of course it's normal for her to say that).”
“Millions and millions? How many millions kaya? Saan sa makakatipid na banda? ‘Pag nasagot siguro ‘yung mga tanong na gano’n, baka ma-convince ako sa argument niya (How many millions is she talking about? Where will the savings come from? If questions like that get answered then she might convince me with her argument),” he said.
The "Young Guns" bloc member wondered whether the cost of a Senate impeachment trial would even come close to the P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds allegedly misused by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte previously led.
“Baka kailangan nila ng matrix at cost-effective analysis. Siguro naman hindi aabot ng P612 million ’yung gastos sa impeachment (Maybe they need to do a matrix and cost-effective analysis. I don't think the impeachment trial would cost P612 million),” he said.
When asked whether the trial would cost more than the intelligence funds involved, Ortega replied, “Siguro. Tingnan natin ang matrix nila (Maybe. Let's look at their matrix).”
The Vice President was impeached by the House of Representatives on multiple grounds, including the alleged misuse of P612 mjllion confidential funds and the spending of P125 million in just 11 days in December 2022.
The impeachment complaint against the Vice President was endorsed by 215 House members, surpassing the one-third constitutional threshold.
There are seven articles of impeachment in all against the lady official.
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