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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider What 'political threatrics?' Renee Co hits VP Duterte's 'endless drama' in impeachment trial

What 'political threatrics?' Renee Co hits VP Duterte's 'endless drama' in impeachment trial

Published Aug 27, 2026 02:49 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Renee Co counters VP Sara Duterte's political theatrics claim, accusing her of "endless drama" to distract from trial issues.
  • Duterte's own staff testify she authorized irregular use of confidential funds, strengthening the prosecution's case.
  • Duterte faces impeachment over P612.5M fund misuse, with Co stressing accountability for corruption.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co clapped back at impeachment trial respondent Vice President Sara Duterte after the latter accused the House prosecution panel of resorting to "political theatrics".
According to Co, all that Duterte has been doing is using her "endless drama" to distract Filipinos from the key developments in the trial.
"Crying about being called the 'mastermind of a scam' is her newest attempt at redirecting the public's attention," said Co, a spokesperson of the prosecution team.
Earlier in the proceedings, private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia used strong words such as "scam" and "mastermind" to describe the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) use of P500 million worth of confidential funds and Duterte’s part in it as head of agency.
Duterte’s defense lawyers--citing decorum--manifested their disapproval of Divinagracia's language, prompting impeachment trial presiding officer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero to ask the prosecution to town down it's language.
On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Duterte further assailed the prosecution and challenged them to "prove [the impeachable offense] with evidence- not Insults, speculation, or political theatrics".
"A strong case does not need the adornment of theatrics. A Senator calling a witness 'stupid', a lawyer calling me the 'mastermind of a scam' or another witness referrina to me as a 'brat', does not prove a case, nor does it produce evidence. Insults reveal the need to feign confidence in the face of a weak presentation," said the impeached Vice President.
'Nilaglag'
But Co noted that the witnesses' testimonies haven't been exactly of help to Duterte.
"Sariling mga tauhan ni Sara ang nagdiin sa kanya bilang may alam at may authorization sa lahat ng mga irregular at maanomalyang aksyon kaugnay ng disbursement, utilization, at reporting ng confidential funds," Co said of the respondent.
(Sara’s own people implicated her as being aware of and having authorized all the irregular and anomalous actions related to the disbursement, utilization, and reporting of confidential funds.)
The lawyer-solon was referring to hostile witnesses Gina Acosta, former OVP special disbursing officer (SDO); and Lemuel Ortonio, OVP assistant secretary and assistant chief-of-staff.
"Sarili niyang mga tauhan ang naglaglag sa kanya. Ang testimonya nila ang nagtuturo na siya ang may kinalaman sa buong operasyon at iskema ng pag-request at paggamit ng confidential funds," added Co.
(Her own people exposed her. Their testimonies point to her involvement in the entire operation and scheme for requesting and using confidential funds.)
"VP Sara claims that the prosecution is resorting to political theatrics, yet she herself resorts to theatrics ang endless drama to appear innocent in the eyes of the public.
"Not only is she the mastermind of a corruption scheme, but she is an expert in evading accountability," said the outspoken congresswoman from the Makabayan bloc.
Among a handful of impeachable offenses, Duterte is being accused of misusing confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million from the OVP and Department of Education (DepEd).
Co says the problem of corruption cannot be resolved unless the Vice President is held accountable.
"Hindi pwedeng tingin niya ay hindi sya pwedeng panagutin sa kanyang mga nagawa, dahil lamang sinasabi niya na may iba pang korap na opisyal sa gobyerno."
(She cannot think that she cannot be held accountable for what she has done simply because she says there are other corrupt officials in the government.)

Related Tags

impeachment Sara Duterte Gina Acosta Lemuel Ortonio Renee Co
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