Vice President Sara Duterte denied claims that lawmakers fear political retaliation if they refuse to support impeachment complaints against her, insisting that she is “not vindictive” and that the cases filed before the House of Representatives lack evidence.

In a video interview released by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Thursday, May 7, Duterte said congressmen should focus on the merits of the impeachment complaints rather than speculate that she may retaliate politically against lawmakers who vote in favor of her acquittal.

“Matagal na ako sa politika. Hindi ako kilalang tao na, or politiko na vindictive. Alam ‘yan ng mga taga-Davao (I have been in politics for a long time. I am not known as a vindictive person or politician. The people of Davao know that),” Duterte said in an interview in The Hague on May 6.

Duterte said people in her hometown know her leadership style, even after facing strong political rivals, including former House Speaker Prospero Nogales.

“Hindi ako kilala na isang vindictive na tao (I am not known as a vindictive person),” she added.

The Vice President argued that legislators should examine whether the complaints contain sufficient evidence.

“Pag ako congressman, hindi ako titingin sa kung vindictive ba o hindi ‘yung isang tao. Titingin ako sa ebidensya. Meron bang ebidensya o wala? Wala naman. (If I were a congressman, I would not look at whether a person is vindictive or not. I would look at the evidence. Is there evidence or not? There is none),” Duterte said.

Duterte claimed the impeachment complaint consisted solely of allegations without supporting evidence.

“Nung finile ‘yung complaint, walang ebidensya at all ‘yung nakalagay doon (When the complaint was filed, there was no evidence at all included in it),” she said.

“Lahat ‘yun parang, ano man tawag nung abugado sa kanila? Parang, kung baga allegations lang lahat. Nothing to support the allegations. So ‘yun ‘yung dapat na tinitingnan nila. May basehan ba ito o wala? (All of that is just—what do lawyers even call it? Basically, they’re all just allegations. Nothing supports those allegations. That’s what they should be looking at: Is there a basis for this or not?),” she added.

Duterte also questioned whether the impeachment efforts were truly about accountability or politically motivated because of her disagreements with the current administration.

“Ano ba talaga ang totoong kwento dito? (What really is the true story here?),” she said.

“Is this accountability, or is this about removing a person who doesn't agree with the administration?” she added.

During the interview, Duterte also reacted to reports that some lawmakers allegedly fear losing budget allocations for their districts if they do not support impeachment moves against her.

“Zero na talaga. Wala nang pera (It’s really zero now. There’s no money left),” Duterte said.

The Vice President added that allocating more funds to lawmakers’ maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) could affect government operations.

“Merong impeachment o wala, wala nang pera na pwedeng ibigay. Pag binigay pa nila ang pang-MOOE sa mga congressman, hindi na magfu-function ang gobyerno (Whether there’s an impeachment or not, there’s no money that can be given. If they still give congressmen their MOOE funds, the government will no longer be able to function),” she added.

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Duterte’s remarks come amid continuing political tensions surrounding impeachment complaints filed against her in the House of Representatives.

The Vice President is in Netherlands, where her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is facing proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his administration’s war on drugs.

Malacañang earlier announced that Duterte revised her foreign travel schedule, approved on April 28, which runs from May 2 to 15 and covers visits to the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom.