VP Duterte says impeachment case must be argued with evidence not insults

Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday challenged prosecutors and members of Congress to prove the alleged impeachable offenses against her with evidence, accusing them of relying on insults, speculation and political theatrics during the Senate impeachment trial.

In a statement, Duterte said proponents of the two impeachment complaints against her should be confident in the strength of their case instead of using the trial to search for evidence.

“Prove the impeachable offense. Prove it with evidence—not insults, speculation, or political theatrics,” Duterte said.

“Prosecutors and members of Congress who want to legitimize the two impeachment complaints—filed without a shred of evidence—should be confident in the strength of the case.

"They should not be fishing for evidence during the trial or desperately try to turn something they wish to be true into a wild story of alleged wrongdoing,” she added.

The vice president did not identify specific pieces of testimony in the statement but criticized remarks made by senators, lawyers and witnesses during the proceedings.

Duterte cited several derogatory descriptions directed at witnesses and herself, saying these did not establish any impeachable offense.

“A Senator calling a witness ‘stupid,’ a lawyer calling me the ‘mastermind of a scam’ or another witness referring to me as a ‘brat,’ does not prove a case, nor does it produce evidence,” she said.

She argued that such remarks instead demonstrated an attempt to project confidence despite what she described as a weak presentation of the case.

“Insults reveal the need to feign confidence in the face of a weak presentation,” Duterte said.

The vice president also broadened her criticism of the administration, accusing it of prioritizing the impeachment proceedings, the 2027 national budget and efforts to alter the Constitution.

“Mga kababayan, lubog na ang bansa sa baha at kahirapan, pero tila walang mananagot,” Duterte said.

She claimed the government’s priorities included “ang impeachment, ang paghati-hatian ang 2027 budget, at ang paghahanda kung papaano baliin ang Constitution para manatili sa puwesto ang prayoridad ng administrasyon at lahat ng kaalyado nito.”