Vice President Sara Duterte said she remains resilient despite mounting political pressure, stressing that her strength now comes from ordinary Filipinos rather than political allies.

“Sa totoo lang, iniwan na siguro ako ng lahat ng mga kaibigan ko na politiko, pero hindi ako iniwan ng mga kababayan natin. Hindi ninyo ako—kami—iniwan. (Honestly, it seems that all my friends in politics may have already left me, but our fellow Filipinos have not abandoned me. You did not leave me—you did not leave us),” Duterte said in an interview on May 4 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Duterte made the remarks after the House Committee on Justice’s unanimous approval of its report and articles of impeachment against her on May 4.

While declining to comment directly on specific allegations, Duterte drew a distinction between criticism from ordinary citizens and statements made by elected officials.

“Kung ordinary individuals lang naman iyan, like ordinary Filipinos, pabayaan na natin iyan kasi iyan ang opinion nila, iyan ang damdamin nila. Hindi mo naman mababago ang nararamdaman ng isang tao (If those are just ordinary individuals, like ordinary Filipinos, let’s leave them be because that’s their opinion, that’s their feeling. You can’t change what a person feels),” Duterte said.

“But it is different, siguro, kapag congressman na ang nagsasabi or senator na ang nagsasabi. Magtatanong ka: ‘Bakit sobrang sigurado ka na tapos na ito?’ (But it’s probably different when it’s a congressman or a senator saying it. You start to ask, ‘Why are you so certain that this is already over?’),” she added, addressing comments Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who said the minimum 106 votes required to impeach her are “not difficult to reach.”

Duterte questioned the certainty of some lawmakers pushing impeachment narratives, saying she is not aware of the basis for their claims.

“Well, hindi ako makapag-comment sa kanyang mga nalalaman kasi hindi ko alam kung ano ang alam niya. (I can’t comment on what he knows because I don’t know what he knows),” she said.

Despite the challenges, she maintained that her outlook and personality remain unchanged, emphasizing that she has remained grounded amid the controversies.

“Sabi ko nga noon na parang tipong ang pinaka-problema lang ng isang tao ay magkasakit o mamatay (As I said before, it seems that the only real problems a person faces are getting sick or dying), because death is the end, and disease or sickness leads toward that end,” Duterte said.

She also expressed gratitude to supporters, particularly overseas Filipinos who continue to rally behind her family during difficult times, including the ongoing case of former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

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Duterte said continued public support remains her primary source of strength as she navigates both personal and political pressures.

“Undying din ang pagpapasalamat sa lahat ng mga kababayan natin (Our gratitude to our fellow Filipinos is truly undying),” Duterte said.

“In fact, ipinaabot ko rin sa kanya na hindi kayo susuko, at sabi niya na sumuko na raw kayo (I conveyed to him that you will not give up, and he replied that you should surrender already),” she said.

“Hindi ko alam kung joke iyon o hindi, pero (I don’t know if that was a joke or not, but), coming from PRRD, I would take it as a joke,” Duterte shared. “Of course, ako personally, ang lakas ko lang talaga ay galing sa mga tao (for me personally, my strength really comes from the people),” she added. 

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