Contrary to her previous statement, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro on Monday denied that the House of Representatives is plotting an "impeachment" against Vice President Sara Duterte over their row in confidential funds.

In an interview, Castro toned down her allegation that there is an ongoing deliberation within the House to oust Duterte, claiming the rumored talks are not that serious.

"The leadership is not involved," Castro said.

The militant lawmaker shed light on the issue, saying the purported impeachment plot was nothing more than "casual" dialogue with some lawmakers at the height of Duterte's request for P650 million in secret funds.

"Those were just a casual conversation among lawmakers… that was last September. Nothing serious about that," she said.

Castro clarified that she only uttered the statement in response to a journalist's query.

Talks about Duterte's alleged impeachment have circulated recently after Castro was cited claiming that the House leadership is eyeing to oust Duterte following their fiery exchange over the chamber's decision to strip the VP of her pursuit of P650 million secret funds in the 2024 budget.

The funds were instead realigned to security agencies handling national security concerns, primarily regarding the West Philippine Sea amid China's persistent encroachment.

The withdrawal of the funds triggered a rift between Duterte and Speaker Martin Romualdez, who recently became the subject of the VP's father, former president Rodrigo Duterte's tirades.

The senior Duterte posited that the realignment of funds was politically motivated and has something to do with 2028 polls, in which Romualdez and the VP are perceived as front-runners. Both the VP and the Speaker denied their purported presidential ambitions.
House leaders came to the defense of Romualdez, saying impeachment rumors are mere attempts to sow discord between the VP and the Speaker.

Nevertheless, Castro said the impeachment talks are still "premature" but highlighted the growing rift in the so-called UniTeam that carried the Marcos-Duterte tandem to landslide victories in the 2022 polls.