VP Sara tells lawmakers to vote based on evidence
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 7 May 2026) — A few days before the House of Representatives will convene on May 11 to tackle and vote on the House Committee on Justice’s report and resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment, Vice President Sara Duterte urged the lawmakers to base their decision on evidence.
During a video interview outside the detention facility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands on May 6 (posted at the Alvin & Tourism Facebook page), Duterte said congressmen should not vote out of fear of retaliation, stressing that she is not vindictive.
“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),” she said.
Duterte maintained that the impeachment case against her lacked evidence, insisting there was nothing to substantiate the allegations when the complaints were filed.
The Vice President also questioned the motive behind the impeachment case, asking whether it was truly about accountability or simply about removing “someone who does not agree with the administration” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Under Article XI, Section 3(3) of the Constitution, a vote of at least one-third of all the members of the House will be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee on Justice, or override its contrary resolution.
On May 4, the Committee found probable cause to impeach Duterte, by a unanimous 55-0 vote, for culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.
Based on the press release of the Lower House issued on May 5, the report concluded that the evidence on record “meets the constitutional threshold for impeachment” based on the allegations of misuse of confidential funds, alleged unexplained wealth, bribery and corruption, and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, as well as acts described in the report as contributing to political destabilization.
“Central to the findings are allegations that Duterte misused ₱612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) when she served as its secretary, citing irregular disbursements, questionable liquidation reports, and unverifiable recipients,” it stated.
The report also details “alleged unexplained wealth, pointing to a sharp rise in Duterte’s declared net worth despite comparatively lower lawful income, as well as Anti-Money Laundering Council data flagging billions of pesos in transactions linked to her and her spouse.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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