Vice President Sara Duterte Denounces Impeachment Complaints as Political Harassment
Vice President Sara Duterte has firmly rejected the impeachment complaints endorsed by the opposition group Akbayan, dismissing them as a form of political harassment rather than a legitimate accountability measure. In a statement released on Saturday, February 7, 2026, Duterte criticized the filings for lacking supporting evidence, describing the complaint as "a piece of paper without any attached evidence" to back the allegations against her.
Details of the Impeachment Complaints
The complaints were filed by 17 members of various civil society organizations and endorsed in the lower chamber by Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima. Among the central allegations are:
- Threats against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and other top officials, which complainants argue amount to a breach of public trust and destabilization.
- Alleged misuse of approximately P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as DepEd secretary from 2022 to 2024.
- Bribery and corruption within DepEd, tied to contracts and disbursements under her supervision.
- Undeclared wealth and anomalies in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
- Involvement or complicity in extrajudicial killings linked to the Duterte family's aggressive "war on drugs" campaign.
The complaint invokes constitutional grounds, including betrayal of public trust, graft, corruption, bribery, and other high crimes under the 1987 Constitution.
Duterte's Defense and Allegations of Political Motives
Duterte argued that the impeachment effort is part of a sustained campaign by her critics to target her politically. She linked it to her decision to leave the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which she described as a response to what she claimed was the President's failure to address worsening poverty and governance issues. According to Duterte, impeachment is being used as retaliation rather than a constitutional remedy.
She highlighted past events, stating, "During the 19th Congress, they even launched an 'investigation in aid of legislation,' not to create a law, but to carry out an obvious fishing expedition for a planned impeachment against me. They repeatedly highlighted the 'Mary Grace Piattos' issue as an alleged mark of corruption, even though after all the investigations, they failed to show a single direct violation in the use of confidential funds."
Duterte further alleged, "Next came the selling of signatures for the impeachment and the so-called 'for later release projects' that were allegedly promised to certain members of the House to push the impeachment against me — events that some lawmakers themselves admitted in their statements."
Questioning Akbayan's Credibility
Duterte questioned Akbayan's credibility in endorsing or filing an impeachment complaint, citing the group's alleged political ambitions. She pointed to public statements by Akbayan leaders expressing intentions to run for higher office, which she said reveal the political motivations behind the move. She referred to a speech delivered in August 2024 by Senator Risa Hontiveros, quoting remarks that she said showed Akbayan's concern over a possible political comeback by the Duterte family.
Duterte emphasized, "It is therefore clear that all of this is a form of harassment and abuse of the impeachment process by the Akbayan group. It is unclear what they are supposedly fighting for in the interest of the nation, but their politicking and the pressure they are placing on our country's diplomatic affairs are very evident."
Call for Justice and Accountability
In her concluding remarks, Duterte called for a focus on truth and national dignity, stating, "In the end, the true struggle is not just the fight of a single person or a single group — it is a fight for truth and for the dignity of our nation. May this serve as a reminder to us all that the power of impeachment should not be wielded as a political weapon, but as a sacred process for justice and accountability."
This development follows a January ruling by the Supreme Court, which upheld with finality its earlier decision declaring the Articles of Impeachment filed against Duterte in 2025 unconstitutional.
