Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday criticized the filing of plunder and graft complaints against her and 15 other officials, calling it “another fishing expedition” aimed at finding grounds to pursue legal action against her.

“Last year, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability launched a full-blown fishing expedition, searching for anything that could be twisted into grounds for impeachment,” Duterte said in a statement.

She added that attempts to gather signatures for her impeachment were reportedly linked to budget allocations, which she said undermined constitutional processes.

“Another fishing expedition is now being launched, as they scramble to weaponize any accusation they can manufacture just to create a semblance of procedural legitimacy for an investigation,” Duterte said.

She urged Filipinos to remain discerning, emphasizing that the complaints, in her view, were intended to deflect attention from alleged corruption and misuse of public funds by the administration.

“Patuloy lamang tayong maging matatag sa harap ng pagbagsak ng ekonomiya at walang tigil na pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin. Patuloy tayong magdasal para sa kapayapaan,” Duterte said. (“Let us remain strong in the face of the economic downturn and the continuous rise in the prices of goods. Let us continue to pray for peace.”)

She added that the Office of the Vice President will continue to provide “efficient, accessible, and responsive public service for the good of all Filipinos.”

On 12 December, plunder and graft complaints were filed against Duterte and 15 other officials from the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, covering 2022 to 2023.