Sara Duterte on archived impeachment: Let’s respect Senate decision

Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday urged respect for the ruling by the Senate to transfer to the archives the articles of impeachment against her. 

That’s what Duterte told reporters a day after 19 senators voted for, four against, and one abstention in archiving the impeachment complaint concerning allegations of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

“Kailangan natin respetuhin ang role ng Senate of the Philippines sa demokrasya,” Duterte said. 

(We need to respect the role of the Senate of the Philippines in our democracy.) 

“So kung mauna ang desisyon sa majority, sa members of the Senate, everyone must follow and respect that decision of the Senate,” she added. 

(So if that’s the decision of the majority members of the Senate, everyone must follow and respect that decision of the Senate.) 

Following the decision by the Senate, Duterte celebrated with her legal team and the petitioners who pushed for the dismissal of the impeachment case. 

In the report of GMA Regional TV’s Jandi Esteban in “24 Oras”,  Duterte said that her legal team will still have to prepare for possible developments to the case.

“Kailangan paghandaan ang lahat ng posibleng mangyari. Possibly 'di natin alam, 2026 o 2027 or 2028 may mag-file na naman ng impeachment, that would be another opportunity sa defense,” Duterte said.

(We need to prepare for whatever may happen. We’re not sure, but someone could file an impeachment in 2026 or 2027 or in 2028. So that would be another opportunity for the defense.) 

Her legal team will still file a comment on the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives. 

Further, Duterte also denied the statement of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro that they have information she went to Kuwait without a travel authority.

"Dapat hindi kayo mag-propagate ng misinformation and fake news. And there is no truth na nagpunta ako sa Kuwait without a travel authority," the vice president said.

(Let's not propagate misinformation and fake news. And there is no truth that I went to Kuwait without a travel authority.)

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. 

Duterte entered a “not guilty” plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her by the House of Representatives, which she called a “scrap of paper.” 

The Supreme Court earlier declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional, noting that it was barred by the one-year rule under the Constitution and that it violated her right to due process.

The lower chamber then filed a motion for reconsideration, seeking to reverse the SC decision. It argued that it should be allowed to perform its exclusive duty to prosecute an impeachable official, and the Senate's to try the case. –Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News