Vice President Sara Duterte has echoed Senate President Francis Escudero’s view that the impeachment case against her was “simply anti-Duterte,” after the Senate voted to archive the Articles of Impeachment while awaiting the Supreme Court’s resolution on related appeals.
In a One News PH report, Duterte said she was unsurprised by Escudero’s statement, noting that some groups see all Dutertes as the same. “There are really such individuals… colored yellow, or they’re colored pink, or they are Marcos loyalists, and their foes – former president Rodrigo Duterte is their enemy – by deduction, I am their enemy,” she said.
Escudero, in his August 6 speech, questioned whether critics of the Supreme Court’s ruling were “truly for accountability” or simply targeting the Duterte family. Nineteen senators voted to archive the case, while four opposed the motion and one abstained.
Duterte emphasized that the Senate’s decision must be respected. “If that is the decision of the majority of the Senate, everybody should follow and respect it,” she said.
She revealed her 16-member legal team had prepared for all possible outcomes, including the case being shelved. However, she admitted disappointment that the full trial she had anticipated would not push through. “I wanted a bloodbath… all the pieces of evidence from the prosecution and all the pieces of evidence from the defense presented for everyone. But unfortunately, it will not happen for now,” Duterte said.
