Although she was impeached by the House of Representatives last Feb. 5, Vice President Sara Duterte did not let that hamper her office’s social services, extending as much assistance as she can to Filipinos while also keeping political issues at bay.

And Duterte also said she was well aware that there could be another round of impeachment raps that would be filed against her — one that she said will surely come by February next year once the one-year bar rule has lapsed.

The Senate archived the Articles of Impeachment against her after the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for alleged violations and lapses.

There is also a pending Motion for Reconsideration filed by the lower house before the Supreme Court, asking it to reconsider its ruling on Duterte’s earlier impeachment case.

“Oh yes. Kasi kung hindi man ‘yan matuloy ngayon, 2025, I'm sure mag-file ‘yan 2026, mag-file ‘yan 2027 or even siguro (If that doesn’t push through now, 2025, I’m sure they will file in 2026, they will file in 2026 or even maybe) 2028 right before the presidential elections,” she told reporters in an ambush media interview last September.

The impeachment complaints stemmed from several alleged violations of the Constitution committed by Duterte, among them the 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, and betrayal of public trust and bribery within the Departmenf of Education (DepEd).

She is also facing charges based on the 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.

Duterte believes the move is politically motivated, in preparation for the presidential elections in 2028, which her political opponents believe she would pursue.

“So, this is all about the presidential elections of 2028,” she stressed.

OVP pursues social services for Filipinos

While Duterte faces a heavy political climate, her own office—the  Office of the Vice President (OVP)—remains hard at work, making do with its meager P733 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year.

This did not stop the OVP from finding “alternative sources” of funding and working with other government agencies to deliver immediate and critical services to Filipinos.

“Alam nating malaking hamon ang pagkawala ng pondo para sa ating social services ngayong taon. Ngunit sa bawat krisis na hinaharap ng ating kababayan, kailangan ng gobyerno ng matatag na solusyon (We know that the lack of funding for social services is a big challenge this year. But in every crisis that our countrymen face, the government needs to answer back with a stable solution),” she said in a video posted on Facebook.

The Vice President delivered the OVP’s accomplishment report for the year 2025 via the seven-minute-long video.

“Hindi kami pumayag na maging dahilan ang kakulangan ng budget para maputol ang serbisyo (We didn’t let the lack of funds hamper our services),” she stressed.

“Sa halip, nakipagtulungan kami sa ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno at nagtagumpay na makakuha ng alternatibong pondo (Rather, we worked with different government agencies and we succeeded in getting alternative funding),” she added.

The OVP received deep budget cuts on its social services programs under its proposed 2025 budget, with lawmakers arguing that some of the assistance provided by the OVP are redundant to what other government agencies are mandated to do.

Delivering on its promise

The OVP’s work on partnering with government agencies and finding alternative sources to fund its social services programs enabled its assistance windows to remain open this year.

According to Duterte, her office provided medical assistance to 4,643 Filipinos and burial assistance to 1,377 beneficiaries.

“Ito ang pruweba na kung may puso at paninindigan para maglingkod, laging may paraan para tulungan ang ating mga kababayan (This is proof that if there’s heart and resolve to serve, there is always a way to help our countrymen),” she pointed out.

The lack of funds also did not stop the OVP from being “laging handa (always ready)” during times of crisis.

Duterte said that the OVP’s Disaster Operations Center (OVP-DOC) delivered immediate help that reached a total of 73,054 families affected by calamities. This number includes the 9,129 families who received donated items through the OVP.

The Vice President herself even personally led the relief operations in Negros Occidental and Cebu after twin typhoons—Tino and Uwan—swept the provinces.

Through its Relief for Indigents and Individuals in Crises and Emergencies (RIICE) Program, the OVP delivered a total of 56,575 bags of rice and essential food items to the response zones, she reported.

The OVP was also able to continue with its two essential programs—the Mag Negosyo Ta 'Day (MTD) livelihood program and the Libreng Sakay program.

According to Duterte, the MTD supported 15 groups and 2,245 aspiring entrepreneurs this year in a bid to lift Filipinos from poverty.

The Vice President, who brought the program from Davao City to the national sphere, said this remains a priority for her.

She also pushed through with the Libreng Sakay program, which augments public transportation during rush hours in major cities across the country.

From January to October this year, the free shuttle service benefited 875,176 commuters nationwide. It currently has nine buses deployed in different areas—Metro Manila, Cavite, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, and Tacloban.

The program was launched shortly after Duterte assumed office in 2022 in hopes of alleviating the transportation woes of the commuting public.

Still on top of things

While trying to deliver needed services to Filipinos, the OVP also has to answer questions on the Vice President’s constant travel outside the country since her father, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, was brought to The Hague, Netherlands.

Aside from returning to The Hague repeatedly since March, she also went to Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, Kuwait, Paris, Japan, and Singapore to meet with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and supporters of her family.

Based on the OVP’s Sept. 11 report, the office spent P20.68 million for the Vice President’s local and foreign trips from Jan. to July this year.

OVP Budget Division chief Atty. Kelvin Gerome Tenido said that of the P20.68 million, P13.21 million was spent on local travels and P7.47 million for foreign trips of the Vice President.

Her travels overseas, however, were covered by a travel authority and did not use public funds, Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio added.

OVP spokesperson Ruth Castelo maintained that Duterte remains to be “on top” of the situation at the OVP despite her constant travels.

“Yes, of course. She‘s still running the office. It’s still her on top of the Office of the Vice President,” she assured in July. “So, everything is under control and the Vice President is actually very reachable. So. I understand that anything that needs her immediate attention can be relayed to her ASAP.”