Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday slammed efforts in the House of Representatives to seek additional documents related to the impeachment complaints against her.
According to the vice president, the move proves there is “no sufficient evidence” to justify the case.
In a statement, Duterte criticized reports about a letter from Rep. Chel Diokno
requesting the House Committee on Justice to issue subpoenas for more records tied to the complaints.
Duterte said the request only reinforces her claim that the accusations lack proof.
“The finding of sufficiency in substance by the Committee on Justice presupposes that the allegations in the complaints are supported by evidence,” she said.
Duterte stressed that the Committee cannot conduct an investigation to search for evidence to support accusations already made.
She described the move as a third “fishing expedition” by the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
Duterte cited previous congressional probes she said were used to target her, including the 2024 budget hearing where the phrase “Let’s stick to our plan” became controversial, and hearings by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability that featured the so-called “Mary Grace Piattos” allegations.
The vice president reiterated her position that the impeachment complaints are politically motivated.
“The impeachment is a political attack designed to protect certain individuals and advance personal and foreign interests,” Duterte said.
She also criticized lawmakers for allegedly seeking special treatment for an individual she identified as Madriaga, whom she described as an alleged kidnapper who fabricated claims.
The vice president was referring Ramil Madriaga, who had claimed to be a former “bagman” of the vice president.
Duterte said giving such treatment would be an insult to the minor victim involved in the case.
Duterte further accused the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Office of the President of the Philippines of focusing on political conflicts instead of pressing national and global issues, including rising energy and commodity shocks that could affect Filipino families and overseas workers.
She warned that continued political infighting could worsen hardships for Filipinos, particularly overseas Filipino workers and low-income households.
