Rep. Diokno defends motion in VP Duterte impeachment proceedings
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Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno said he respects the recent pronouncements of Vice President Sara Duterte regarding the impeachment proceedings against her, while defending his motion related to the preservation of evidence.
“I respect the Vice President’s opinion about the proceedings. However, my motion is clear: to preserve the documentary evidence and secure a witness so the Committee on Justice can fulfill its duty of assessing the evidence,” Diokno said in a statement.
The lawmaker added that the vice president has the opportunity to refute the allegations through proper legal channels.
“The Vice President has every opportunity to refute the allegations against her by submitting her answer and evidence. Sa huli, ang ebidensya ang magsasabi kung dapat may pananagutan. At ang impeachment proceeding ang tamang lugar para lumabas ang katotohanan,” he said.
Duterte has repeatedly dismissed the impeachment efforts against her as a “political attack” and a “fishing expedition.”
In her recent statements, she maintained that the ongoing proceedings lack sufficient evidence and are intended to protect certain personal and foreign interests.
Following the decision of the House Committee on Justice on March 4, 2026 to find two new impeachment complaints “sufficient in substance,” Duterte issued a statement addressing the subpoenas sought for her financial and asset records.
The vice president argued that the request for subpoenas for her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) and bank records shows that her critics still lack solid evidence to support the case.
She also criticized the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Office of the President of the Philippines for focusing on her impeachment while the country faces global economic shocks and regional tensions, describing the situation as an “insult” to Filipinos.
Duterte’s legal team, however, acknowledged receiving formal notice to respond to the complaints and said they would submit their verified answer within the required 10-day period.
In January 2026, the Supreme Court of the Philippines affirmed with finality that the previous 2025 impeachment articles were unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule, which prohibits more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year.
Duterte welcomed the High Court’s decision, which effectively junked the House’s earlier appeal.
In her earlier 34-page reply to previous allegations, the vice president said rulings by the Commission on Audit regarding her use of funds remain subject to appeal and do not constitute a final determination of mishandling.
She also rejected claims that she plotted against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying the accusations were based on unproven remarks from an online briefing.
Duterte also addressed reports about a letter from Diokno before the House justice panel seeking subpoenas to obtain additional documents related to the impeachment complaints.
“This only reinforces what I have been saying all along. There is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case against me. The finding of sufficiency in substance by the Committee on Justice presupposes that the allegations in the complaints are supported by evidence,” Duterte said.
She added that the committee cannot conduct an investigation to search for evidence supporting the accusations in the impeachment complaints, saying that doing so would amount to a third “fishing expedition” by the House of Representatives.
