Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections during a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Duterte outlines her priorities, including governance reforms, public service continuity, and national development. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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VP SARA DUTERTE

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177372153223120260218-vp-sara-duterte-presidency-MT6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections during a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — Father Joel Saballa and other complainants in the third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte filed before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday a manifestation of waiver to file a reply to Duterte’s Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam, which they described as a “non-answer.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/17/vp-duterte-spox-hits-double-standards-in-house-impeachment-proceedings-1044">VP Duterte spox hits &#x27;double standards&#x27; in House impeachment proceedings</a></div><p>In their three-page manifestation, the complainants through their counsel, said Duterte’s answer “conspicuously failed to specifically deny each and every material allegation” in the complaint.</p><p>“Complainants deem it unnecessary to file a reply thereto,” they said in the manifestation, which was electronically filed at 11:02 a.m. “Complainants also note and lament respondent’s continued failure to explain to the Filipino people how she was able to spend P125,000,000 in eleven days, and where exactly the total amount of P612,500,000 entrusted to her by the public went,” the manifestation added.</p><p>“Despite the gravity of the accusations against her and the unmistakable public character of the funds she is charged of misappropriating, respondent ultimately said nothing to defend herself,” it noted.</p><p>The complainants’ lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan said the Vice President&#x27;s response was a missed opportunity.</p><p>“Wala pong silbi ‘yung pagfa-file, paghahain ng isang reply to an answer na hindi naman po sinunod ano ‘yung pinaka-basic requirement sa rules na ‘yung pag-refute specifically ‘yung mga dapat i-refute nila paragraph by paragraph,” Ligutan said.</p><p>“Sino ba si Mary Grace Piattos? Na-miss po ‘yung opportunity ng Vice President.  That is lamentable. That is unfortunate. Naghihintay po ‘yung taong bayan. Let&#x27;s not resort to technicalities. Kung sa tingin nyo po, tama po ‘yung ginawa nyo, let&#x27;s proceed to trial. Sabi po, gusto n’yo po ng bloodbath in the impeachment trial and the people deserve to have one,” he added.</p><p>The complainants also raised concern on Duterte’s supposed “conflation” of the basic distinction between “ultimate facts” and “evidentiary facts”.</p><p>“With all the respect po, sa gumawa po ng answer ng Vice President… ‘yung konsepto po ng ultimate facts versus evidentiary facts, isang bagay po na kahit po yung mga bagong pasok lang sa isang law school, kahit first year ka pa or second year, isang bagay na dapat alam mo na, dapat na-master mo na,” Ligutan said.</p><p>“Well-documented. May isang eye witness. May mga notice of disallowance, audit observation memorandum from the Commission on Audit. May mga documents evidencing payment na sabi ng PSA, Philippines Statistics Authority, eto ‘yung mga taong do not exist, fictitious. Despite that, you still have the courage and the gall to claim wala man lang ultimate fact, saka wala man lang evidentiary fact in that 98-page document... Ang hirap kumbinsihin ‘yung isang taong nagbubulag-bulagan,” he added.</p><p>Ligutan further slammed the claim that the House impeachment proceedings violate Duterte’s right to due process.</p><p>“It&#x27;s ironic. You are sending, you are being represented by 16 lawyers. Nakapag-file ka ng answer mo to the impeachment complaints against you. At the same time, sasabihin mo you are not given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the Vice President resorted to technicalities. That&#x27;s an indication na mahina po on the merits,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NO USEFUL PURPOSE&#x27;</strong></div><p>Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera, the complainant in the 4th impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, also filed a manifestation of a waiver to file a reply to the vice president&#x27;s Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam.</p><p>In his two-page manifestation, Cabrera said the filing of a reply &quot;would serve no useful purpose and would only delay the proceedings,&quot; because Duterte’s Answer &quot;raised no new factual matters.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Notably, respondent failed to specifically deny the material allegations of the complaint. The Answer does not squarely traverse the ultimate facts alleged and effectively amounts to a non-answer,&quot; he added.</p><p>&quot;Respondent’s claim that the complaint lacks &#x27;ultimate facts&#x27; rests on a basic misapprehension of pleading rules, as it improperly demands evidentiary detail at this stage,&quot; Cabrera noted.</p><p>He also asked the House Committee on Justice to proceed with the determination of the existence of sufficient grounds for impeachment.</p><p>On Monday, Duterte’s camp asked the House Committee on Justice to dismiss the impeachment complaints against her, citing alleged “absence” of ultimate facts, alleged “violation” of her right to due process, and alleged “double standards” in the House panel proceedings.</p><p>In their Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam, Duterte said the matter of confidential funds, which were the subject of a Commission on Audit Notice of Disallowance, remained “pending and unresolved”. </p><p>They added that allegations of malversation, technical malversation, and graft and corruption against the VP were “mere conclusions”, and no ultimate fact shows she amassed ill-gotten wealth.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HIDING BEHIND TECHNICALITIES?</strong></div><p>House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, who endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte, accused her of “hiding behind technicalities” again instead of directly answering the allegations.</p><p>“The Vice President continues to stonewall the allegations against her. This is not an answer at all. Instead of addressing the charges head-on, she chose to hide behind technicalities. Hindi po nasagot ang mga paratang. Iniiwasan ang pinaka-ugat ng isyu, at dinadaan sa procedural arguments na hindi naman tumutugon sa substance ng kaso,” he said.</p><p>This sentiment is shared by two ex-officio members of the House justice panel, who also endorsed the first two impeachment complaints against Duterte.</p><p>“Denial ng katotohanan, walang anumang paliwanag na matino sa mga alegasyon at malinaw na naghahanda na siya para tumakbo sa Supreme Court…Hanggang ngayon ay iniiwasan pa rin ng bise presidente ang pagpapaliwanag at pagsabi ng buong katotohanan sa mamamayang Pilipino, na ‘yun ang hinihintay. Ano ba talaga ang ginawa mo doon sa P125 million in 11 days? So, kailangan pa rin managot,” ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said.</p><p>“Ginagawa talaga nila ang lahat para ma-evade ‘yung accountability. ‘Yung pagtawag nilang basura at recycled ‘yung kaso, ito na naman ‘yung lumang tugtugin ng pagtakbo sa responsibility and acountability. Itong pagsagot niya sa mga kaso na para bang spoiled brat, na pag pinagpapaliwanag, ang unang reaction ay mag-tantrums. Hindi tantrums ang kailangan ng taumbayan. Ang kailangan ng taumbayan ay accountability at truth telling,” Akbayan party-list Representative Percival Cendaña said. </p><div> </div><div><strong>NO DOUBLE STANDARD</strong></div><p>House Committee on Justice Chairperson Gerville Luistro also denied allegations of “double standard” against her panel and absence of ultimate facts in the complaints against Duterte.</p><p>“We have no double standard. As a matter of fact, the exact parameters that were used in the impeachment complaint against the President are being used in the impeachment complaint against the Vice President… Ang hinahanap lagi ng Justice members is the personal participation to substantiate. They failed to show proof of the President&#x27;s personal involvement or participation in the alleged offense, which is different in the case of the vice president,” Luistro said.</p><p>“It is the vice president who is uttering the threat against the president, the first lady, and the former speaker. So I think there is nothing that we need to explain or the complainant needs to explain in as far as the threat is concerned. It&#x27;s there. The video speaks for itself, and the whole world was able to watch that,” she added.</p><p>“I don&#x27;t think there was violation of due process. Nakita nyo naman, we gave ample opportunity to all the members of the Justice Committee and even non-members who wish to make manifestation or interpellate during the determination of sufficiency in form and in substance. Hindi ko alam kung nasaan doon kasi yung sinasabi nilang violation of due process,” Luistro noted.</p><p>Since the complainants in the two impeachment complaints against Duterte manifested that they will no longer be filing a reply, Committee Chairperson Gerville Luistro said the House panel may tackle on Wednesday whether the complaints contain sufficient grounds to proceed to a hearing proper.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yl1H51bSHMw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The complainants said Vice President Sara Duterte’s answer “conspicuously failed to specifically deny each and every material allegation” in the complaint.</p>

The complainants said Vice President Sara Duterte’s answer “conspicuously failed to specifically deny each and every material allegation” in the complaint.

3rd, 4th impeachment complainants waive right to reply to VP Duterte’s 'non-answer'

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3rd, 4th impeachment complainants waive right to reply to VP Duterte’s 'non-answer'

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 17, 2026 12:26 PM PHT

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Updated Mar 17, 2026 06:29 PM PHT

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