DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 6 Feb) — Davao City legislators cried foul on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, emphasizing that it is just an apparent “politically motivated” exercise.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House of Representatives collected 215 votes, more than the required one-third of the members of the House, to impeach Duterte, bypassing committee level discussions and rather being endorsed to the Senate.
No less than the vice president’s elder brother, Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte (1st Dist., Davao City), said in a statement that he was “appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts” to impeach her sister.
Pulong accused Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin for initiating the gathering of signatures from among the lawmakers to impeach the vice president, calling it “sinister maneuvering” and “political persecution.”
“This is not just about VP Sara Duterte—this is about the will of the Filipino people. The growing discontent and frustration across the country will not be contained for long. Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor,” Duterte stressed in a statement posted on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon.
But in a television interview shortly after Rep. Duterte’s statement, Garin denied the accusation.
“Definitely no, it’s not true. It’s fake news. I have full respect for Congressman Paolo Duterte,” Garin said.
“It would’ve been good if he will attend sessions and meetings in Congress, so that he can get the correct and first-hand information,” she added.
With the impeachment being handed to the Senate, senators will act as jury to an impeached official.
It is unclear when the Senate trial will take place. The Senate adjourned Wednesday evening without discussing the impeachment.
Duterte’s removal from office would require at least two-thirds support of the Senate, or 16 or more votes of the current 23 senators.
Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab also said in a statement on Thursday morning that the impeachment is just apparently a “futile exercise” to divert attention from the national government’s “anomalous budget.”
Ungab, together with former presidential legal counsel Vic Rodriguez and six others, filed charges against the 2025 budget’s unconstitutionality before the Supreme Court last Jan. 28, citing that some items of the approved General Appropriations Act of 2025 (Republic Act 12116) have noticeable blank items, such as those found in budget allocations under the Department of Agriculture and National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
On Feb. 4, the Supreme Court then demanded that the House of Representatives, the Senate and Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin to comment on the matter within 10 days.
As of Feb. 6, no comments from them were made public.
“The impeachment is a futile exercise from the start. Congress will resume its session on June 2 and will adjourn sine die on June 13. What can they do with six session days left? This is nothing but a diversion from the real issue, which is the anomalous budget process as shown by the 28 blank items in the [bicameral] report,” Ungab said.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, younger brother of the vice president, lambasted President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.
“Cornered animals become aggressive,” the mayor said, while also tagging both Marcos and Romualdez. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
