Palace denies Dy replacing Sara

Malacañang on Thursday denied discussing a succession plan in the event of the conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte, amid speculation the Marcos administration would back House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III as her replacement in the Office of the Vice President.

“There has been no conviction yet. We cannot anticipate. We cannot speculate because the defense still has to present its evidence,” said Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro.

Castro said the Senate impeachment court has yet to decide the case and the Palace has not discussed a replacement for Duterte.

“In fairness and out of respect for the position of the Vice President, this will not be discussed, and it has not been discussed. Let the process take its course,” she said.

Asked what the administration would consider in choosing a vice president, Castro offered no name or criteria.

“There really is nothing. It is difficult, not yet. Let us just show respect. Even if others sometimes do not show respect, the President respects the position of the Vice President,” she said.

The speculation on succession came as the Senate court attained the number of votes to convict Duterte after the threshold for conviction was lowered from 16 votes to 14 and Sen. Mark Villar jumped over to the majority, bringing its membership to 14.

Baste draws attention

Her conviction would remove Duterte and disqualify her from holding future public office.

Against this backdrop, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has emerged as a possible presidential candidate of the Duterte family in 2028 in place of his sister should she be convicted.

Political observers have pointed to his “very strong” appearance and testimony as a hostile witness in the impeachment trial that has drawn the attention of anti-Marcos groups.

Vice President Sara Duterte has said that a presidential run by her brother is a family matter and has not been discussed in earnest.

Ombudsman opens probe

Separately, the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed Thursday that it has received a 178-page report by the National Bureau of Investigation on Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), along with supporting documents.

The Ombudsman said the materials would undergo an initial evaluation to determine whether further investigation was warranted.

Ombudsman officials said the review would proceed in accordance with established procedures and applicable laws and without regard to “political color.”

NBI director Melvin Matibag said the report was based on documents and investigative work, not gossip or hearsay. He cited findings concerning Prime Bistro, a property registered under Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.

Matibag said the acquisition cost declared in Duterte’s SALN was P10 million, while the property’s market value was P82,000. He also cited further findings concerning the value of the land on which the business was built.

The NBI said it obtained transfer certificates of title from the Land Registration Authority and conducted a site visit.

The report was referred to the Ombudsman on 13 October. Its findings were among the issues raised in the impeachment proceedings, where a prosecution witness alleged that Duterte had P817.87 million in unexplained wealth from 2023 to 2025.

Prosecutors have completed their presentation of evidence. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has set 9 November for the defense to call its first witness.

Also on Thursday, Senate President Win Gatchalian categorically denied Duterte’s allegations that the 2027 budget is being weaponized to sway impeachment votes to convict and remove her from office.

Duterte flagged possible budget manipulation on Wednesday, a day after the prosecution dropped all except Article 2 on unexplained wealth against her.

The VP insinuated that the budget, though not yet passed, is being used as a “bargaining chip” to pressure senator-judges and “reward” House lawmakers who voted in favor of her impeachment.

“There’s no such thing being dangled before the senator-judges,” Gatchalian said in Filipino in a chance interview. “There’s no basis for that. The impeachment court would really be compromised if that were to become the allegation.”

Senator Ping Lacson also pushed back on Duterte’s claims, saying such allegations are “unfair” to lawmakers, who not only resist but also combat corruption schemes in the government, specifically in the budget.

“A sweeping statement from no less than the country’s second-highest official is unfair to those of us who have consistently upheld the integrity of the national budget and served as its vanguards,” he contended.

Duterte’s spokesperson, Paolo Panelo Jr., alleged that the withdrawal wasted P500 million in public funds over 20 trial days devoted to Articles 1 and 4.

Article 3 was withdrawn before the prosecution presented its evidence. The figure allegedly represents P25 million per day being drained from the Senate budget.

Both Gatchalian and Lacson debunked the P25 million-per-day impeachment budget, saying the figure reflects the cost of operating the entire Senate as a legislative body, whether or not impeachment proceeds.

The Senate leader clarified that impeachment proceedings cost P330,763 per day, totaling P14.56 million over 44 trial days, starting on 6 July.

The budget was sourced from the P25.7-million continuing appropriation under the 2025 budget. The Senate still has P13 million, which Gatchalian projected is already enough to cover the remaining trial days.