Philippine Vice-President Says Prosecutors Failed to Prove Grounds for Impeachment

Islamabad (ANTARA) – Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte said on Tuesday that the prosecution team had failed to prove any misconduct that could serve as grounds for her impeachment.

She accused the government of making desperate efforts to remove her from office through allegations unsupported by evidence.

“When the prosecution team from the House of Representatives fails to build a convincing case of misconduct that could constitute grounds for impeachment, all they have to offer are the same ridiculous poses, which are neither entertaining nor funny,” Duterte said in a statement.

She accused the government of changing its narrative by portraying the effort to oust her as a national-security issue.

“Now, we are witnessing a shift in the government’s narrative in its effort to bring me down,” she said.

Duterte referred to several allegations, including Chinese funding for a business venture, a drug-enforcement operation in Laos, and an alleged conspiracy involving Mindanao and Davao.

She questioned the evidence behind the allegations, saying none had been convincingly presented.

“What we are seeing instead is desperation, reflected in travel-permit documents for Laos that were allegedly forged to support a narrative not backed by credible evidence,” she said.

Duterte said the documents had never been confirmed by the Office of the President, which routinely announces her overseas trips.

The impeachment controversy began in December 2024, when several complaints accused Duterte of corruption, misuse of public funds and making threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The House of Representatives impeached her in February 2025, but the Supreme Court later annulled the impeachment process. A fresh impeachment effort emerged in 2026.

Duterte urged the government to end the political confrontation and focus instead on governance. She said Filipinos were becoming poorer, hungrier and angrier.