Vice President Sara Duterte has formally entered a “not guilty” plea to the impeachment complaint filed by the House of Representatives, dismissing the accusations as baseless and unconstitutional.
In a 35-page response submitted to the Senate impeachment court, Duterte slammed the fourth impeachment complaint filed against her, describing it as “nothing more than a scrap of paper.” She argued that the filing violated the one-year bar rule enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, which restricts the filing of multiple impeachment cases against the same official within a year.
“Being laden with conclusions of ‘facts’ and law, the fourth impeachment complaint is a clear abuse of the impeachment process,” Duterte’s camp asserted in the document.
Duterte also questioned the complaint’s legal merit, pointing out that it lacked a proper statement of ultimate facts and failed to establish a basis for the serious charges it alleged. These charges include conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., misuse of over P600 million in confidential funds, bribery and corruption during her stint at the Department of Education, and involvement in extrajudicial killings and destabilization efforts, among others.
The Vice President denied all allegations, calling them “false, misleading, impertinent, and mere conclusions of fact and law.” She specifically rejected the claim that she plotted to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, asserting that there was no evidence presented and no act cited that constituted a high crime.
Her controversial statement from November 2024—where she alluded to hiring an assassin in the event of her death—was also addressed. Duterte insisted it was taken “out of logical context” and that such interpretation lacked factual grounding.
On the issue of confidential funds, Duterte emphasized that no court ruling had ever declared the expenditures of her office or DepEd as unlawful or unjustified. “No final decision exists declaring the disbursements illegal,” the document read, stressing that such determinations fall under the jurisdiction of the Commission on Audit and the Supreme Court.
Duterte also questioned the basis for requiring her to respond to the impeachment complaint, citing that the Senate had earlier returned the articles to the House after a vote of 18-5. “The Vice President cannot be compelled to answer allegations… that had been ordered returned to its source,” her legal team maintained.
The House prosecutors have until June 30 to file their reply to Duterte’s plea. The Senate impeachment court is expected to move forward with the proceedings when the 20th Congress resumes.
