VP Sara Duterte to reply to Ombudsman ‘within required period’

Vice President Sara Duterte said that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) will be submitting its response to the Ombudsman "within the required period," as her impeachment trial looms.

The Ombudsman had directed Duterte to respond to the charges filed by the House of Representatives in connection with the alleged misuse of confidential funds. She was given 10 days to respond to the order, which was issued on June 19.

In an interview during a support rally in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, Duterte said that her team of lawyers informed her that an answer was being prepared for the Ombudsman.

"As we speak, the lawyers are already preparing for the answer and the lawyers informed me that we will provide the answer within the period required within 10 days," she said.

Duterte is also facing another deadline—she has until Monday, June 23, to respond to a summons from the Senate sitting as the impeachment court in her trial.

The summons, served on June 11, also gave Duterte a "non-extendible" period of 10 days to respond to the articles of impeachment against her. Since the 10th day from the issuance, June 21, fell on a Saturday, Duterte will have until Monday to respond.

Former associate justice Antonio Carpio has said that Duterte will lose her right to answer should she fail to submit her reply to the summons within the period.

He stated that her lack of response will not stop the proceedings.

During the interview, Duterte also said she has been preparing to respond to an impeachment since November 2023.

“The moment that we heard Representative [France] Castro from the House of Representatives mentioned the word impeachment. So we've been preparing for this and we've hired lawyers since 2023, so they will answer… We will provide the answer within 10 days,” she said.

The Vice President also said that her visit to Australia was not a holiday, following remarks from Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro questioning whether her trip was personal or official.

“I do not like traveling at all except for holidays, and clearly I am not on holiday for this trip. I am here to discuss with the Filipino community on ways forward for our country, and of course how we can push the administration to do more for our country,” Duterte said.

“The Philippine government should not discount the contributions of the Filipino communities worldwide… It's good to sit down and discuss with them,” she added. — BM, GMA Integrated News