VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday urged the public to respect the Senate’s decision to archive the impeachment case against her following the Supreme Court’s July 25 ruling declaring the Articles of Impeachment it “unconstitutional.”
“Let’s just respect the decision of the Senate of the Philippines,” Duterte said in an interview in Davao City, a day after the Office of the President (OVP) could not ascertain her whereabouts.
“As I said, I wanted a bloodbath, meaning I wanted the pieces of evidence from both the prosecution and the defense to be presented during trial for everyone but unfortunately, it can’t be done now,” she said in a mix of English and Bisaya.
The Vice President celebrated with members of her defense team and petitioners who questioned the House of Representatives’ impeachment complaint against her.
Duterte, who wore her trademark green polo shirt, was seen in a jovial mood in photos posted on Facebook yesterday by Davao City councilor Luna Acosta.
The defense team, in a statement, acknowledged the Senate’s decision “to adhere to the SC’s ruling and archive the Articles of Impeachment.”
“Our focus now remains on submitting our comment, in compliance with the High Court’s order,” said Michael Poa, spokesperson for the defense team.
The law firm Torreon and Partners, on behalf of the other petitioners, said in a separate statement is it preparing a comment, in compliance with the SC’s order for the Vice President to comment on the House’s motion for reconsideration within the allotted 10-day period.
“We also welcome the Senate’s decision and will wait for further developments,” lawyer Luna Acosta said in the statement released by the Office of the Vice President.
The House impeached Duterte last February based on various allegations, including her alleged misuse of a total of P612.5 million in confidential funds disbursed by both the Department of Education, which she used to head as secretary, and the Office of the Vice President, through the use of dubious recipients such as the now infamous “Mary Jane Piattos.”
Duterte faced seven Articles of Impeachment, which also raised her use of P125 million in just 11 days in December 2022 when she was still education secretary.
The House leadership has said the SC’s decision has factual errors, particularly the High Court’s claim that the impeachment articles were transmitted to the Senate without the House’s plenary approval, thus the motion for reconsideration.
‘BLATANT OVERREACH’
At the House, allies of Speaker Martin Romualdez lambasted Sen. Imee Marcos for urging congressmen to oust and replace the House leader when she spoke in the plenary during the voting on the motion to archive the complaint on Wednesday night.
“Let me be clear: no senator, regardless of stature or history, has the right to dictate who should lead the House. That decision rests solely with the elected members of this chamber, and Speaker Romualdez continues to enjoy our overwhelming confidence,” said senior deputy speaker David Suarez of Quezon.
Suarez, the Speaker’s top lieutenant, also said the presidential sister’s call to replace
Romualdez, her first cousin, is “a blatant overreach into the affairs of a co-equal chamber.”
He said Romualdez “acted well within the Constitution” when he presided over the transmittal of Articles of Impeachment, and that “it is unfortunate that he is being vilified for upholding a process that the Constitution entrusts to the House.”
“What we are seeing here is not a call for accountability. It’s a classic deflection from the real issues raised in the impeachment case,” Suarez added. “The Senate’s decision to archive the complaint does not erase the people’s demand for answers.”
Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales said the presidential sister’s unsolicited advice to congressmen was “out of bounds,” adding she should exercise “caution and restraint” when referring to the internal affairs of the House, of which she is not a member.
Khonghun remined the senator of the fundamental principle that co-equal branches of government “should refrain from meddling in each other’s internal decisions, especially when it comes to choosing their own leaders.”
“What was said was not just a personal opinion. It became a public provocation. And when a senator calls for the ouster of the House speaker, that’s not just political noise anymore, it becomes borderline interference,” Khonghun said.
Deputy speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said, “Strong statements may grab headlines, but they do little to uphold the dignity of our institutions.”
“The Speaker did not act alone (in impeaching the Vice President). This was a collective institutional decision—one rooted in the Constitution,” he said.
