Vice President Sara Duterte’s critics in the House of Representatives on Wednesday castigated her display of “arrogance” after openly expressing full confidence in winning the impeachment case against her.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas argued that Duterte cannot be confident at the same time while continuing to dismiss the clamor to explain the alleged bogus recipients of her multi-million confidential funds, the disbursement of which was exhaustively probed by members of the House.

“It's impossible to be confident when she can't even explain how and where she spent the public funds. It seems like she is showing a certain arrogance,” she stressed in Filipino in an interview.

The VP on Tuesday said that her lawyers are “more than confident” that they will win in the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, clearing Duterte of allegations of graft and corruption, bribery, and betrayal of public trust, among others.

But Zambales Rep. Jefferson Khonghun burst her bubble, asserting that the seven articles of impeachment are backed by overwhelming evidence involving the alleged misuse of public funds and potential falsification of government documents.

“Dreaming is free. She can be as confident as she wants, but that doesn’t change the facts. The evidence we’ve uncovered is substantial, well-documented, and rooted in her own actions,” Khonghun averred.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on 5 February, with 215 lawmakers signing the articles of impeachment against her.

She was accused of corruption and other high crimes for purportedly misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to her office and the Department of Education during her tenure as its secretary, as well as allegedly plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Duterte has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the impeachment as a “well-funded” and “coordinated political attack” to derail her future political ambitions. Duterte is seen as the frontrunner for the 2028 presidential elections and consistently leads surveys as a preferred successor to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Another critic of the VP, La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V, told Duterte that “no amount of spinning [can] erase the truth" about the allegations pertaining to her confidential funds.

“This is not about drama, endorsements, or dynasty politics. It’s about upholding the Constitution and protecting public funds,” he asserted.

The Senate impeachment court is expected to try Duterte on 30 June, or after the 20th Congress takes over and 12 new senators are sworn in.

House prosecutor Lorenz Defensor earlier said that the prosecution is already 80 percent ready with the evidence to be presented in the trial. He mentioned that the prosecution panel would be comprised of “veteran lawyers” who volunteered to help in Duterte’s trial, believing that the proceedings would continue to uphold accountability.

The Senate will need a two-thirds vote or at least 16 of the 24 sitting senators to convict Duterte. If convicted, she will be permanently disqualified from holding any public office, including her alleged ambition to succeed Marcos in the next national polls.