ASEANEWS HEADLINE-COURTS & CRIME | MANILA: Sara Duterte blasts Akbayan, Risa Hontiveros over impeach raps
Sara Duterte (left) and Risa Hontiveros —OVP PHOTO / FILE
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https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLMRMY1313AU
VP Sara downplays fresh impeachment raps: ‘A piece of paper without evidence’
Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday, Feb. 7, described the fresh impeachment complaint filed against her as nothing but “a piece of paper without any evidence as she said that Akbayan, one of those who filed the case, “does not have any credibility” to do so. (Video courtesy of OVP)
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MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said on Saturday that the impeachment complaint against her by Akbayan was a “politically motivated” harassment, accusing the group’s most prominent leader in Congress, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, of using it to advance her ambition to run for president in 2028.
In contrast to her combative remarks that she wanted a “bloodbath” after her impeachment in 2025, Duterte, in a video message on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Facebook page, merely dismissed the new complaint as just “a piece of paper” lacking evidence of her alleged wrongdoing.
Her February 2025 impeachment, which was supported by 215 members of the House of Representatives, was nullified by the Supreme Court in July that year and then affirmed last month in a resolution junking petitions to reverse that ruling.
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READ: Akbayan to Sara Duterte: ‘Enough with the excuses’
The Court, however, said it did not absolve her of the offenses she had been charged with, including betrayal of public trust for allegedly misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds. It said new complaints may still be filed against her.
Duterte said Hontiveros had “repeatedly” expressed her desire to run for president in the 2028 elections.
Hontiveros, the Senate deputy majority leader, has not categorically declared her intention to run for president.
In a May 2025 interview with reporters, she said she was “not saying no, I’m open to all possibilities” in response to a question on whether she was willing to be the standard bearer of progressive and reformist groups in 2028.
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In another interview on Jan. 30, 2026, Hontiveros said she was still “open to running for president and definitely support a common candidate” of a united opposition.
According to Akbayan, the Vice President’s reaction to the new impeachment complaint didn’t match her dismissive stance.
“For something she insists has no merit, it rattled her enough to release a video message, not to answer the serious charges, but to desperately attack us and our Chair Emeritus, Sen. Risa Hontiveros,” said Akbayan president Rafaela David. “She even called the complaint ‘harassment.’ How can something she insists is baseless harass her?”
David predicted that Duterte will become the first vice president to be impeached twice.
Video of speech
Duterte said Akbayan had “no credibility” to endorse or file an impeachment complaint against her.
“Their leader has repeatedly and openly expressed an intention to run for president—a clear indication of the political motive behind their actions,” she said.
READ: Sara Duterte: Impeachment rap ‘politically motivated,’ lacks proof
To back her claim, Duterte played a short clip from an August 2024 “historic” speech by Hontiveros, who said that as long as the daughter of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte “still holds power, our fight will not be easy.”
“While VP Sara is in power, the threat of a full-blown Duterte comeback is still a very real and present danger. For one, they are supported by a major superpower—China,” Hontiveros said.
The video snippet, however, did not mention the 2028 elections or any impeachment plans against the Vice President.
“It is not clear what they are fighting for—[whether] it is for the country to be better—but their politicking and burdening the talks on our country’s diplomatic issues are clear,” Duterte said.
‘Fishing expedition’
She said the House opened an investigation of her alleged misuse of the confidential funds of the OVP and the Department of Education, which she headed until her resignation in July 2024, calling it a “fishing expedition” that supposedly turned up no evidence of her wrongdoing.
“They repeatedly raised the issue of ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ as an alleged indicator of corruption, and despite the investigations, they failed to show a single direct violation of the use of confidential funds,” she said.
That unlikely Filipino name—which is a combination of the name of a popular restaurant and a potato snack—was proven non-existent by the state statistics agency. The OVP had reported that “person” to have been among numerous beneficiaries of confidential funds. Lawmakers said this was a violation of the use of such funds.
She said lawmakers later “sold their signatures” to the complaint and were allegedly promised more funds “for later release.” She did not identify any of them.
‘Reeks of fear’
Akbayan’s David said Duterte’s video statement “doesn’t project confidence, it reeks of fear, poorly disguised as bravado.”
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, who supports the Akbayan impeachment, said the new complaints alleged the same offenses she was charged with in the 2025 impeachment case “that she has never answered.”
“If it were not for a technicality, she should have been tried in the Senate,” De Lima said.
In addition to Akbayan’s complaint, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan also filed its own, which was endorsed by the Makabayan bloc in the House.
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The complaints are essentially the same as those the two groups lodged against the Vice President in December 2024. A third complaint was filed in the same month.
The fourth complaint, which was backed by more than the required one-third of the House members, was filed on Feb. 5. This was subsequently voided by the Supreme Court for violating the one-year bar against initiating an impeachment case against the same official.
Strong and augmented
For De Lima, “the evidence remains strong … and it has even been augmented.”
“In a trial, she cannot respond with sarcasm or claims of politicization,” De Lima said. “She must prove that the allegations are unfounded. Otherwise, she must be held accountable for the misuse of public funds.”
David said Duterte was asked in the House to explain her use of public funds which she has refused to this day.
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“Quit trying to squeeze out of this, Sara,” David said. “Prepare to go down in history as the first vice president to be impeached, not once, but twice.” WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
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