DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 December) – Vice President Sara Duterte downplayed the potential refiling of an impeachment complaint against her on or after February 6, 2026, stating there is no evidence to support it. During her family’s “Pahalipay sa Pasko” event at their ancestral home in Barangay Bangkal on Thursday, Duterte dismissed the impeachment efforts as attempts to “threaten and harass” her, asserting that Filipinos are weary of the process. She noted that the Supreme Court’s July 25 ruling declared the impeachment unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule and due process principles. Four impeachment complaints were filed against her between December 2024 and February 2025, with the 19th Congress archiving the first three and transmitting the fourth to the Senate. The Court clarified that any new impeachment complaint can only be filed starting February 6, 2026, adhering to constitutional guidelines. Duterte attributed the allegations to propaganda linked to her potential 2028 presidential bid and neither confirmed nor denied reports of her visiting detained former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr., maintaining that she does not know alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
