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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Impeachment complainants slam VP Sara's 'non-answer'; find no need to file reply

Impeachment complainants slam VP Sara's 'non-answer'; find no need to file reply

Published Mar 17, 2026 01:02 pm

At A Glance

  • The complainants behind the Father Joel Saballa et al impeachment complaint that was lodged against Vice President Sara Duterte have no intention to file a reply to the lady official's 15-page Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam.
Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)
Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)


The complainants behind the Father Joel Saballa et al impeachment complaint that was lodged against Vice President Sara Duterte have no intention to file a reply to the lady official's 15-page Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam.
This, after the complainants didn't find much of an answer in the respondent's submission to the House Committee on Justice, which has been overseeing the impeachment proceedings.
"Complainants manifest their intention NOT to file a reply to respondent's non-answer," read their manifestation of waiver to file a reply that was electronically sent to the justice committee on Tuesday morning, March 17. The waiver was signed by the complainants' counsel, lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan.
The personalities behind the Saballa et al complaint said that Duterte’s answer "failed to specifically deny each and every material allegations in the 98-page impeachment complaint, complainants deem it unnecessary to file a reply thereto".
Chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, the panel earlier ordered respondent Duterte to answer in writing the allegations stated in the remaining impeachment complaints, one of which was the Saballa et al complaint. The other is the Nathaniel Cabrera complaint.
As per procedure, the complainants are supposed submit a written reply to Duterte’s answer within three days.
"Particularly concerning is respondent's obvious conflation of what is otherwise a clear and basic distinction between ultimate facts on one hand, and evidentiary facts, on the other hand," read the waiver.
"Complainants also note, and lament, respondent's continued failure to explain to the Filipino people how she was able to spend PhP125,000,000,00 in eleven (11) davs, and where exactly the total amount of PhP612,500,000,00 entrusted to her by the public went," it further stated.
"Despite the gravity of the accusations against her, and the unmistakable public character of the funds she is charged of misappropriating, respondent ultimately said nothing to defend herself," it added.
The Saballa et al complaint was filed at the House of Representatives by a group of 13 priests, nuns, and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Cebu members last Feb. 9. It was endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima.
In her answer to the justice panel, Vice President Duterte claimed that this year's impeachment complaints were "no different from the 2025 Articles of Impeachment filed against respondent before the Senate and declared void ab initio by the Supreme Court (SC)".
She further said that the 2026 impeachment complaints "recycled" the same accusations against her.
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