Vice President Sara Duterte said she has deliberately shielded her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, from news of the impeachment efforts against her, citing concerns for the 81-year-old leader’s health while in detention.
In an interview during her visit to the International Criminal Court detention center, the vice president said she saw no value in “burdening” her father with what she described as “bad news.”
She expressed fear that the former president might overthink the situation if he were informed of the developments in the House of Representatives.
“I don’t think he needs to know that kind of bad news,” Duterte said, adding that such stress is inappropriate for someone his age. “We are thinking that he might even pass away inside.”
Despite the omission, she described the former president as “very chatty” during their recent meeting, noting that approximately 95 percent of their conversation focused on politics.
The Vice President also criticized the inclusion of her family members in the ongoing impeachment proceedings in Manila, calling the move “unfair.”
She argued that her relatives are private citizens entitled to the same privacy as the families of the congressmen leading the inquiry.
“They are not the Vice President and they are not being impeached,” she said, characterizing the scrutiny of her family as a double standard.
The remarks come as the House of Representatives considers impeachment complaints against her, which she has repeatedly dismissed as fabricated.
Duterte framed the attacks as part of a broader “dirty” political strategy ahead of the 2028 presidential elections, where she is considered a potential contender.
During recent hearings, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV alleged that P181 million from a suspected drug lord was distributed among the Duterte family. Additionally, Anti-Money Laundering Council executive director Ronel Buenaventura told lawmakers that banks had flagged hundreds of transactions totaling P6.7 billion linked to the vice president and her husband, Attorney Manases Carpio.
Duterte cautioned the public against “troll farms” and social media manipulation used to shape public perception. While she maintained that accountability should be limited to public officials and not their families, she reiterated her willingness to face the formal impeachment process.