Vice President Sara Duterte has refuted claims made during the House Committee on Justice impeachment hearing that she needed help to finish law school.

In a statement, Duterte described the hearing on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, as a “mini trial” that threw lies at her.

Duterte said she finished law school on her own terms and never sought special accommodation from professors.

“I completed my studies on my own terms. I placed a higher premium on living a well-rounded life rather than pursuing academic excellence. I never asked any professor for special accommodation for my grades because the bare minimum was easy enough to meet,” Duterte said.

She added that she was never the subject of any complaint for misconduct during her time at the San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) College of Law.

The Vice President emphasized that she graduated in May 2005 and took the Bar Examination in September of the same year, which she called uncommon timeline for SSC-R students at that time.

“The exam that year was relatively difficult. I passed the Bar on my first attempt with a GWA of 80, five points above the minimum,” Duterte said.

Duterte also slammed Ramil Madriaga who identified himself as her former aide and alleged bagman, and several members of the House of Representatives involved in the proceeding, accusing them of failing to uphold the rule of law.

“Madriaga and his cohorts in the House of Representatives do not come close to my capacity to achieve results with very little effort because they cannot even weave a believable lie, much less follow the rule of law,” Duterte added.

She also described the ongoing proceeding as indicative of alleged abuse and corruption.

“Mga kababayan, this mini-trial in the Committee on Justice is true to form for some of its members: abuse and corruption appear to be the only things they are capable of. Let us remember that the first impeachment case itself was marred by allegations of bribery involving members of the HOR, and this second impeachment is no better,” Duterte said.

“The failure of the administration to provide relief in this price crisis is not due to a lack of resources, but because public funds are being used for political maneuvering to avoid accountability for the most corrupt budget in our country’s history,” she added.