VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte unsurprisingly snubbed the invitation to her own impeachment hearing, accusing committee on justice members in the Lower House of orchestrating a “third fishing expedition.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Duterte dismissed the committee’s proceedings as a fabricated “media narrative.” She argued that the push for her personal appearance is a tactical attempt to stage a “mini-trial” designed to portray her as evasive to the public.
The vice president asserted that no rule mandates a respondent’s physical presence at such hearings.
“The invitation… is seemingly being used to build a narrative based on my alleged non-answer and non-attendance,” Duterte said in Filipino. She emphasized that her formal defense—an Answer ad Cautelam —has already been submitted, leaving the committee with “nothing left to do but dismiss the complaints” for what she described as a “clear lack of evidence.”
Duterte framed the impeachment as a distraction from the “State of National Energy Emergency” and the soaring cost of living.
“Once again, politics is being put ahead of the welfare of millions of Filipinos who are struggling due to expensive goods, business closures, and job losses,” Duterte stated.
