The key facts

  • Sara Duterte said the prosecution failed to establish an impeachable offense
  • She called the document about the Laos trip fabricated and unconfirmed by the Office of the President
  • Impeachment process: complaints since December 2024, impeachment in February 2025, voided by the Supreme Court, new attempts in 2026

Duterte: prosecution failed to prove an impeachable offense

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said on Tuesday that the prosecution team of the House of Representatives failed to establish a convincing case of an impeachable offense against her. According to her, the government is 'desperately' trying to remove her from office using unverified accusations. 'When the House of Representatives prosecution team failed to establish a convincing case of an impeachable offense, all it could offer were ridiculous poses that were neither entertaining nor funny,' Duterte said in a statement.

Accusations of shifting the narrative

Duterte accused the government of shifting the narrative to frame her removal as a national security matter. 'We are now witnessing an obvious shift in the government's narrative to remove me,' she said. She listed allegations concerning Chinese funding of a business project, a drug case in Laos and an alleged 'Mindanao–Davao conspiracy,' and stated that none of them is supported by convincingly presented evidence.

Controversial document about the Laos trip

Duterte called the purported document authorizing the trip to Laos an act of 'desperation,' saying, according to her, it was fabricated to support a narrative not backed by credible evidence. She noted that this document was never confirmed by the Office of the President, which usually announces her foreign trips.

Context of the impeachment process

The conflict over impeachment began in December 2024, when complaints were filed against Duterte accusing her of corruption, misuse of public funds and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The House of Representatives impeached her in February 2025, but the Supreme Court subsequently declared the procedure invalid. In 2026, new impeachment attempts followed.

Call to focus on governance

Duterte called on the government to end political confrontation and focus on governing the country, saying that Filipinos are 'impoverished, hungry and angry.'