Impeaching VP Sara Duterte a political suicide for House – Alvarez

VP Sara Duterte composite image from Inquirer stock and House of Representatives of the Philippines photos

MANILA, Philippines — It is political suicide for the House of Representatives to entertain a possible impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte as it would not serve the interests of Filipinos, former speaker and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said on Wednesday.

Alvarez said in a statement that politics is the driving force behind rumors about impeachment complaints against Duterte.

“The rumors surrounding the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte are deeply concerning, not just for the political landscape, but for the state of our democracy. This move is largely driven by petty political ambitions rather than genuine governance concerns. It reeks of an attempt to eliminate a perceived political rival rather than serving the interests of the Filipino people,” he said.

“Vice President Duterte’s overwhelming electoral victory in 2022, with 32 million votes — more than the votes for President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] — reflects the immense trust that Filipinos have placed in her leadership. To challenge this mandate through an impeachment, based on shallow political grounds, is a direct affront to the sovereign will of the people,” he added.

According to Alvarez, Congress would be “reckless” if it tried to impeach an official who got the most votes in any election in the country.

He also noted that Duterte “currently enjoys net trust, approval, and satisfaction ratings higher than other government officials.”

“Senator Imee Marcos, in a recent statement, boldly questioned those pushing for the impeachment of Vice President Duterte: ‘Naghahanap ba sila ng gulo?’ Her concern, however, isn’t just for Vice President Duterte, but for her younger brother,” he added.

READ: Imee Marcos slams impeachment talks vs VP Duterte

Duterte has claimed several times that the House is openly discussing an impeachment complaint, eventually saying that a friend has a recording of lawmakers talking about it.

READ: VP Sara bares solons openly discuss her impeachment

However, several House leaders maintained that they are not discussing an impeachment complaint against her.

READ: VP Duterte on impeachment: House lawmaker has recordings of talks

Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V urged the Vice President to name who is behind this so that they could confirm if they are really near the source of information.

READ: VP Sara urged: Name those who say there’s impeachment brewing

During the deliberations on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) proposed 2025 budget last August 27, Duterte said talks of an impeachment complaint against her were not new, claiming that a lawmaker had mentioned this in a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

Duterte did not mention who the lawmaker is, but the quotes were lifted from an August 26, 2023 story of the Inquirer where ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said they were mulling the filing of an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

READ: Impeachment of VP over intel funds mulled 

Alvarez said instead of focusing on impeachment complaints, the government must address issues affecting Filipinos daily.

“Almost three years into the Marcos administration, the most pressing challenges—rising costs of goods and services, lack of jobs, low wages, widespread poverty, and hunger—remain largely unresolved,” he claimed.

“These are the issues that demand attention, not political infighting or attempts to silence perceived threats to the administration’s long-term ambitions. Rather than rolling up their sleeves to tackle these critical problems, it seems the leaders of the current administration prefer to distract the public with a political circus—an indication that they are unable or unwilling to provide real solutions,” he added.

Duterte is currently under fire after budget hearings at the House revealed issues on the OVP’s confidential funds in 2022 and 2023, and anomalies in the delivery of projects of the Department of Education when she was still Education secretary.

Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe on Tuesday said Duterte may be liable for graft if she cannot explain how funds were spent, particularly the items with adverse findings from the Commission on Audit (COA).

The COA issued a notice of disallowance on P73.2 million of the OVP’s P125-million CF for 2022 — an item that several lawmakers said should not be available in the first place as the original budget crafted under former Vice President Leni Robredo did not have such.

READ: VP Sara Duterte may be liable for graft – Dalipe