Sara Duterte confident ‘we will win this fight’

Vice President Sara Duterte. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday expressed confidence that she would win against the “cowardly” attacks against her by her enemies who were “drunk in power” and wanted to oust her.

Speaking at the Philippine Independence Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur that gathered a crowd of Filipino workers in Malaysia, the embattled Vice President said she would “remain strong” in the face of her looming impeachment trial.

“The attacks are cowardly yet openly disingenuous and arrogant, absence of basic human decency and respect for the rule of law, typical of people drunk in power,” she said in her first remarks since the Senate impeachment court was convened on Tuesday.

“We remain strong, steadfast and grounded in truth, integrity and faith in the hand of God that will move in ways we cannot comprehend at this point,” she said.

‘Our fight’

“I believe we will win this fight because this is our fight. We will win this despite the threats, intimidation, abuse and the viciousness,” Duterte said to loud cheers.

The Vice President did not say who she was referring to, although her bitter falling out with President Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez is well known.

After convening as an impeachment court, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of the Dutertes, moved to “return” the articles of impeachment against the Vice President to the House of Representatives. Voting 18-5, the senator-judges approved the motion.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian voted against it.

Senators Robin Padilla and Imee Marcos, two of her supporters in the impeachment court, joined her in the trip to Malaysia, along with senatorial candidates who were endorsed by her father, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, in the midterm polls — Jimmy Bondoc, Jayvee Hinlo and Richard Mata.