Marilyn Cahatol

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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/17825360873381782536084935.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference, February 7, 2025. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte said the articles of impeachment against her are “void” for being “tainted with manifest partiality and evident bad faith indicative of prejudgment.” </p><p>In her full response submitted on May 25 and released by the Senate as impeachment court, Duterte said the speeches of House members declaring “enough votes” to impeach her despite pending proceedings “demonstrate that the resulting alleged finding of probable cause was a foregone conclusion.”</p><p>The House Committee on Justice last April <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/house-finds-probable-cause-duterte-impeachment-now-up-to-plenary-1618">unanimously agreed </a>that the evidence presented in its clarificatory hearings were strong enough to transmit the impeachment case to the plenary.</p><p>On May 11, the House of Representatives <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/-2nd-eye-ok-house-impeaches-sara-duterte-again-1702">impeached Duterte for the second time</a>. </p><p>The articles of impeachment have been transmitted to the Senate, which is set to begin the impeachment trial on July 6.</p><p>Duterte argued that the articles of impeachment are a “product of unconstitutional usurpation of power.”</p><p>She said the House panel proceedings were a “procedural artifice” to “impugn her reputation before the general public,” and that only the Senate has the mandate to try an impeachment case.</p><p>The vice president also questioned the complaints’ citing of acts done outside her term as vice president.</p><p>She said the charges should not include supposed impeachable acts committed during her terms as Davao City mayor and vice mayor, which are non-impeachable offices.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/25/court-sheriff-vp-duterte-punched-in-2011-listed-as-prosecution-witness-in-impeachment-trial-1943">Court sheriff VP Duterte punched in 2011 listed as prosecution witness in impeachment trial</a></div><p>The evidence based upon by the House panel are “constitutionally infirm,” said Duterte, as it mostly consists of those from the Saballa and Cabrera complaints, which she said were “produced and made available with questionable convenience during the course of the mini-trial” and presented only after Duterte had filed her answer.</p><p>This, she said, “[deprived] her of any opportunity to confront and address them in her answer and violating her right to due process.”</p><p>Duterte added that the articles’ referral process was also “infirm as there were no deliberations made during the plenary session on February 23, 2026.”</p><div> </div><div><strong>‘FISHING EXPEDITION, ONE-YEAR BAR RULE’</strong></div><p>Duterte reiterated her repeated claim that the complaints are products of a “fishing expedition.”</p><p>“Having been deprived through constitutionally impermissible means, these alleged evidence are excludable as fruits of the poisonous tree and which cannot serve as bases for impeachment,” the response stated.</p><p>The vice president alleged that the Saballa and Cabrera complaints violate the one-year bar rule as the Castro and Dee complaints — two of the four initial complaints filed against Duterte this year — were dismissed on March 2.</p><p>“Like the Saballa and Cabrera Complaints upon which they are based, the Articles contain no statement of any ultimate facts as the allegations therein remain to be mere speculations, conjectures, conclusions and surmises,” Duterte said.</p><p>“The Articles do not contain any sufficient factual and legal bases to sustain any impeachable offense,” she added.</p><p>The Senate, which convened an impeachment court last May 18, is set to begin the trial on July 6.</p><p>The articles of impeachment accuse Duterte of alleged misuse of confidential funds, alleged unexplained wealth, alleged bribery of Department of Education officials, and alleged contracting to assassinate the President, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/15/prosecution-defense-file-pre-trial-briefs-for-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-2119">Prosecution, defense file pre-trial briefs for Sara Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNgwS0WlnAw?si=hAHYq1AvrKC8Wc81" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte said the articles of impeachment against her are “void” for being “tainted with manifest partiality and evident bad faith indicative of prejudgment,” in her response submitted May 25.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte said the articles of impeachment against her are “void” for being “tainted with manifest partiality and evident bad faith indicative of prejudgment,” in her response submitted May 25.

Sara Duterte says impeachment raps ‘void’ for being ‘tainted with partiality, bad faith’

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Sara Duterte says impeachment raps ‘void’ for being ‘tainted with partiality, bad faith’

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 27, 2026 01:56 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

impeachment

Senate

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