House leaders reiterate: No plan to impeach VP Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte —Photo from Inday Sara Duterte FB page

MANILA, Philippines — The leaders of the House of Representatives on Tuesday reiterated that there is no plan to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte despite her insistence that moves to unseat her are in the works.

In a briefing, House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo said if Duterte is implying that House leaders are meeting about her impeachment, this is not true as the meeting on Monday night in Malacañang was about the Marcos administration’s slate for the 2025 senatorial race.

“Personally, I do not know if there is such a thing, a plan of impeachment. Regarding the meeting of the House leadership, it was not mentioned. The meeting of the political leaders last night, there was also no mention of impeachment of the VP, rather, the meeting was all about the lineup of the administration,” he said.

“So I really don’t know where Madam Vice President Duterte got the information, if someone is saying that there is an impeachment complaint against her. Because the Office of the Speaker is already saying that there is none,” he added.

Tulfo was referring to a meeting in Malacañang, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’ Lakas-CMD, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), the Nacionalista Party (NP), and the National Unity Party (NUP) were present.

READ: ‘Unity pa rin’: Party leaders meet at Malacañang for 2025 strategy

Tulfo also said he can “categorically say” that the House leadership does not support any move to impeach Duterte.

“It was repeated by the Speaker this afternoon before I came down because I know that it will be asked in the press conference, there is none,” he added.

Tulfo was asked about the impeachment rumors as Duterte claimed, after facing the Senate’s deliberations on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed budget for 2025, that her possible impeachment was “openly discussed” in the House.

Duterte said the information was leaked by her friends who remained silent out of fear of repercussions, adding that she had expected this “playbook” to be implemented by people who wanted to bring down her family.

She was referring to the House quad-committee hearings where her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and her brother Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte were implicated by a former Customs officer as involved in a missing drug shipment in 2018.

READ: ‘Don’t name Paolo Duterte, Mans Carpio, Yang in 2018 shabu import mess’ 

According to Duterte, she is not bothered by impeachment talks as she is ready to relinquish her post anytime.

READ: VP Sara bares solons openly discuss her impeachment

This is not the first time that Duterte’s possible impeachment was discussed.

Last Aug. 13, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon disputed former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claims that an impeachment complaint against Duterte was being prepared.

According to Bongalon, while it would not be a surprise if someone files an impeachment complaint given the Vice President’s recent actions, he has not heard of anything about it.