Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday criticized renewed efforts in the House of Representatives to file another impeachment complaint against her, claiming the move is being used as a “bargaining chip” ahead of the passage of the 2026 national budget.
In a statement, Duterte said the timing of the latest impeachment talk is not surprising, claiming it follows a "familiar pattern" she has seen before.
"Its timing reveals a pattern that has become all too familiar,” she wrote.
Duterte pointed to earlier disclosures by Senator Chiz Escudero, Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, and other House members, who said that as early as February 2024, signatures for an impeachment complaint against her were being sought in exchange for budget allocations.
“Their statements have unmasked the truth that the impeachment complaint against me was never really driven by principle but by price,” Duterte said.
She lamented that despite several revelations, no investigation had been conducted to hold anyone accountable for the billions of pesos in budget allocations that were "squandered on political warfare" when they should have been used to serve the public.
Duterte argued that the constitutional mechanism of impeachment is once again being dangled as leverage ahead of the passage of the 2026 national budget.
“To those who continue to exploit the impeachment process, stop hiding behind the language of good governance,” she added.
“Now, this constitutional mechanism is being dangled once again as a bargaining chip right before the 2026 National Budget is passed,” she said.
“To those who continue to exploit the impeachment process, stop hiding behind the language of good governance,” she added.
She condemned what she described as the political exploitation of the process, stating: “I have always stood ready to answer any allegation grounded in fact and truth. But I cannot remain silent while the impeachment process is being twisted into a budget-driven racket.”
The statement comes after agong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chairperson Teddy Casiño said progressive groups were preparing to file complaints against the vice president once the one-year ban on filing impeachment cases, triggered by the dismissal of the previous complaint, expires in February.
