Vice President Sara Duterte on August 26, 2026 issued a statement challenging prosecutors and members of Congress to prove the charges against her with hard evidence rather than what she called “insults, speculation, or political theatrics,” as her Senate impeachment trial entered its third week of testimony over the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
In the one-page statement, Duterte said prosecutors backing the impeachment complaints “should be confident in the strength of the case” and warned them against “fishing for evidence during the trial.” She argued that name-calling — a senator labeling a witness “stupid,” a lawyer calling her the “mastermind of a scam,” and another witness referring to her as a “brat” — does not amount to proof. “Insults reveal the need to feign confidence in the face of a weak presentation,” she said.
Her reference to being called a “mastermind” echoes an exchange the day before. On August 25, the 18th day of the trial, GMA News reported that private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia sought to have witness Lemuel Ortonio confirm that Duterte was the “architect” and “mastermind” of the confidential fund operation. Presiding officer Senator Francis Escudero sustained a defense objection and directed the prosecution to use “more acceptable” words, though Divinagracia maintained the prosecution wanted to “call a spade a spade.”
Ortonio, the Office of the Vice President’s assistant chief of staff, was declared a hostile witness that day — the second prosecution witness given that designation. Escudero made the ruling after Ortonio confirmed his employment is coterminous with Duterte’s tenure, giving him an adverse interest in the case. According to Philstar, Ortonio testified that he filed the office’s protective intelligence reports without reading them and personally covered a P150,000 liquidation gap that has yet to be reimbursed.
The trial centers on Article I of the articles of impeachment, which accuses Duterte of systematically misappropriating and irregularly liquidating P612.5 million in confidential funds — roughly P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million to the Department of Education during her time as Education secretary. Earlier testimony from former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta, also declared hostile, alleged that Duterte ordered the encashment of funds later turned over to a security officer, Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica.
In the Filipino portion of her statement, Duterte pivoted to broader grievances, saying the country is “submerged in floods and poverty” while the administration’s priorities appear to be impeachment, the division of the 2027 budget, and preparations to bend the Constitution to keep the administration and its allies in power. She closed with “Shukran,” an Arabic expression of thanks.
Duterte is the sitting vice president and daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte. A conviction requires at least 16 of the 24 senator-judges and would remove her from office and permanently disqualify her from holding public office. Her defense has consistently argued the complaints are procedurally defective and unsupported by admissible evidence. The trial is scheduled to continue.
