BY ALEX ALAGON
- VP Duterte rejects ‘complete failure’ label as education secretary
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte defended her tenure as Education Secretary, stating that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s actions during her resignation contradicted the notion that her performance was a “complete failure.”
During an interview with Alvin & Tourism in The Hague, Duterte said the issue stemmed from her earlier statement that the country’s education system is still in a “paper and pencil” state compared to other modernized nations.
“I have all the right to say what is the truth about our country. That is covered by our freedom of speech and expression,” Duterte said.
“How can we start thinking of solutions if we don’t accept that our country has a problem?”
On Aug. 20, Palace spokesperson Atty. Claire Castro said during a press briefing that Duterte had every opportunity to clean up the education sector from 2022 to 2024.
“It only shows that her term as DepEd secretary is a complete failure,” Castro said.
Duterte expressed confusion over the “complete failure” label, pointing to what she described as Marcos’s attempts to convince her to stay when she submitted her irrevocable resignation on June 19, 2024.
According to the Vice President, Marcos offered her a different position and even asked for help with the 2025 midterm senatorial elections.”
These were not the actions of a person who viewed me as a failure. These were the actions of a person who needed my work,” she stated.
Duterte revealed she had been holding on to her resignation letter for months, fearing political attacks.
She resigned on June 19, 2024, after a meeting at the Palace. Duterte recounted Marcos’s reaction to her resignation. “He asked me, ‘Why? Why?'” she said, adding that she told him she didn’t want to discuss the reasons.
The vice president also shared a surprising detail about their final face-to-face interaction as Cabinet members.
At around 10:30 a.m. on the day she resigned, as she was leaving, she said Marcos hugged and kissed her goodbye.
“He smelled of alcohol. If I had to guess what kind of alcohol, it would be whiskey,” Duterte said, adding that the encounter confirmed her decision to resign.
“I am not the failure,” she said. “Perhaps the failure is smelling of alcohol at 10:30 in the morning.””So, hindi ko alam saan nangagaling yung sinasabi nilang failure ako sa Department of Education Secretary,” she said.
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte pointed to a Supreme Court decision as the proper indictment of what she described as an “abuse of authority” within the House of Representatives.
Responding to a question about a potential ouster of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Vice President Duterte said she had not seen or heard anything about it.
“Di man ko nagatan-aw sa ilaha oy kay irritating sila sa mata ug sa dalunggan (I don’t watch them because they are irritating to the eyes and ears),” she said.
She then pivoted the conversation to a recent Supreme Court ruling. “I’ve not seen it, but didto na lang ta sa kung unsay gisulti sa Supreme Court. Gilatag og tarong kung giunsa nila pag-abuso ang ilahang power dinha sa House of Representatives (Let’s just refer to the Supreme Court, which clearly laid out how the House of Representatives abused their power),”
she said.
The vice president was also asked about the description of the Speaker as a “spoiled brat,” but she declined to comment. “The best description for that is in the Supreme Court decision that there was really abuse and there was a show of power that was wrong,” she stated.
BY ALEX ALAGON
SENATOR Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri clarified his decision to vote “yes” on archiving the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, stating that the move was based on the Supreme Court’s ruling, which he described as “immediately executory.”
Zubiri spoke to the media on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, during a mass surrender ceremony of New People’s Army (NPA) members in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon, where he was a guest speaker.
“The instruction of the Supreme Court is very simple—it is immediately executory,” Zubiri said.
He used an analogy, explaining that if a court says a prisoner’s release is “immediately executory,” the person will be released from jail.
“In this case, it’s the same; if it’s ‘immediately executory,’ it means it’s done. It’s finished.”The senator further explained that he requested an amendment to the motion from his colleagues, including Senator Marcoleta, to “archive” the articles instead of “dismissing” them.
He stressed that archiving does not mean the issue is permanently discarded.
“It’s not that we threw it out of the Senate; it’s still there. It can still be revived,” he said.
“I support the decision of the Supreme Court without prejudice to their overturning the decision. This means I support that it’s ‘immediately executory,’ but if they say they made a mistake and the impeachment needs to proceed, we will bring it back from the archives to the plenary.”
Zubiri concluded by saying that, for the time being, while they wait for a motion for reconsideration, it is best to “archive that problem” and focus on the more pressing issues facing the Philippines.
Photo by Rhoda Grace B Saron
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte acknowledged the Senate’s decision to archive her impeachment complaint, stating that the public must respect the role of the legislative body.
However, she admitted that she had hoped for a full trial to present her evidence to the public.
During an interview with the media on Thursday, Duterte addressed the Senate’s 19-4-1 vote to archive the articles of impeachment.
“We need to respect the role of our Senate of the Philippines,” she said. “If that is the decision of the majority of the members of the Senate, everyone must follow and respect that decision.
When asked if the outcome was what she expected, the vice president clarified that her defense team was prepared for all possibilities.
“In truth, we didn’t have one particular expectation,” she said. “Everything that could possibly happen was prepared for by our defense team.”
She then reiterated that the Senate’s decision was one of the possible outcomes.
The vice president also spoke about her previous comment regarding wanting a “bloodbath.”
She clarified that this was not a literal statement but a desire for a full public airing of the case. “I wanted all the pieces of evidence from the prosecution and all the pieces of evidence from the defense to be presented for everyone,” she explained.
“But unfortunately, that is no longer the case at present.”However, she did not rule out the possibility of facing similar issues in the future.
“Possibly in 2026, 2027, or 2028, there will still be those who will file for impeachment, and that will be another opportunity to answer,” she added.
THE DEFENSE team of Vice President Sara Duterte acknowledged the Senate’s decision to set aside the articles of impeachment pending the Supreme Court’s ruling on the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives.
In a brief statement, Atty. Michael Wesley T. Poa, speaking on behalf of the defense team, said, “The Defense Team acknowledges the Senate’s decision to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling and archive the Articles of Impeachment.”
“Our focus now remains on submitting our comment, in compliance with the High Court’s Order,” Poa added.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the High Court issued an order giving the vice president and his legal team 10 days to comment on the 70-page motion filed by the Lower House, represented by the Office of the Solicitor General.
The motion seeks to overturn the earlier Supreme Court ruling striking down the articles of impeachment as unconstitutional and void ab initio.
On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the Senate mothballed the articles of impeachment on a vote of 19-4 and 1 abstention in deference to the Supreme Court ruling.
The session began with a privilege speech by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who urged the Senate to dismiss the case, citing the Supreme Court’s 13-0 en banc decision.
The Supreme Court’s ruling found the complaint to violate the one-year constitutional bar rule procedurally defective and outside the Senate’s jurisdiction, as the complaint itself was unconstitutional.
In response, senators Vicente Sotto, Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan filed a “motion to table” Marcoleta’s proposal, arguing that the Supreme Court’s ruling was not yet final and executory due to a pending motion for reconsideration from the House of Representatives.
They maintained that the Senate has the sole constitutional authority to try impeachment cases.
However, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano intervened, emphasizing the importance of respecting the Supreme Court’s authority.
Cayetano proposed an amendment to Marcoleta’s motion, changing it from a “motion to dismiss” to a “motion to archive,” which was agreed upon by Marcoleta. Archiving formally sets the matter aside, and it can only be revived through a formal motion.
Senators who voted to ARCHIVE (19): Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Bato Dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Mark Villar, Camille Villar, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Migz Zubiri, Bong Go, Loren Legarda, Sherwin Gatchalian, Rodante Marcoleta, and Chiz Escudero.
Senators who voted to TABLE (4): Tito Sotto, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino
Abstained: Ping Lacson
THE INTEGRATED Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has released an official statement recognizing the Supreme Court’s authority to nullify the impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte, while cautioning against calls for defiance of the ruling.
In a statement issued on Aug. 1, 2025, the IBP affirmed that the high court’s decision was not merely about the judicial review of impeachment but about upholding the “enduring architecture of a constitutional order where power is limited, roles are defined, and accountability flows through process.”
The organization, which represents the country’s lawyers, clarified that while it recognizes and respects the House of Representatives’ “exclusive power” to initiate impeachment proceedings, it also acknowledges the Supreme Court’s “solemn duty to interpret the Constitution and resolve legal uncertainties.”
The IBP stressed that impeachment, despite its political nature, “does not place it beyond the reach of judicial review under the Constitution.”
It also noted that the Supreme Court serves as the “final arbiter of constitutional questions,” a role rooted in the system of checks and balances designed to prevent the excesses of any one branch of government.
While the IBP stated that disagreement with the Court’s reasoning is “neither unwelcome nor unexpected” and that dissent is essential to a democracy’s survival, it drew a firm line against outright defiance.
“To incite public repudiation of its authority, or even just to call for its outright defiance, erodes the very foundations of the legal order,” the statement read.
The IBP warned that if every adverse ruling becomes an “invitation to disobey,” the rule of law would cease to be a constraint on power, thereby imperiling the integrity of democratic institutions.
The organization’s statement concluded by reiterating its commitment to defending legal processes, which, it said, ultimately defends the sovereignty of the people.
- Sara hails SC impeachment ruling, thanks supporters for fighting HOR ‘abuses’
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday lauded the Supreme Court’s decision to declare the fourth impeachment complaint against her unconstitutional, expressing profound gratitude to her legal team, petitioners, and supporters.
In a statement released shortly after the High Court’s ruling (G.R. No. 278359), Duterte extended her “heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Defense Team for taking on my case, even when no one else was willing to stand by me.”
She also thanked the petitioners of G.R. No. 278359 “for having the conviction to challenge the abuses of the House of Representatives.”
The vice president acknowledged those “whose voices rang out in dissent against persecution,” stating that their “courage to speak the truth has been a source of strength.”
Furthermore, Duterte expressed appreciation for the “parents, children, and silent supporters who offered their prayers for justice,” noting that their “quiet faith lifts me up.”
The vice president also reiterated her broader commitment to the nation, asserting, “Our country deserves better, and we shall stand tall, strong, and resilient against leaders whose greed will bring down our homeland. We deserve better.”
She concluded her message with a patriotic call to action in Filipino: “Mahalin natin ang Pilipinas — para sa Diyos, bayan at bawat pamilyang Pilipino (Let us love the Philippines — for God, country, and every Filipino family).”
The Supreme Court struck down the Articles of Impeachment submitted to the Senate as unconstitutional for violating the one-year ban rule. Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez instructed fellow lawmakers to file a motion for reconsideration to reverse the unanimous decision, 13-0, by the justices.
Atty. Princess Abante, the HOR spokesperson, insisted that lawmakers did not violate procedures when they processed all four impeachment complaints. For instance, the three initial complaints were included in the Order of Business within the proscribed period.
“The fourth complaint, signed and verified by more than one-third of House Members, effectively constituted the Articles of Impeachment and was transmitted directly to the Senate, rendering the earlier complaints moot and subject to archiving,” she pointed out.
The fourth complaint, which became the final Articles of Impeachment transmitted to the Senate, was endorsed by 215 lawmakers in February this year.
Photo courtesy of Inday Sara Facebook page
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