Here is the rewritten content without additional comments:
VP Sara insists there’s no evidence for new impeachment raps
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 March) – Vice President Sara Duterte has maintained that there is insufficient evidence to warrant the filing of a new impeachment complaint against her.
Duterte made the statement on Friday following the request of Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno to the House committee on justice to issue a subpoena duces tecum to obtain evidence in support of her impeachment.
She said the request only “reinforces what I have been saying all along,” that there is insufficient evidence as ground for the impeachment.
“The finding of sufficiency in substance by the committee on justice presupposes that the allegations in the complaints are supported by evidence,” she said.
Duterte said the committee cannot conduct an investigation to seek evidence supporting accusations already raised in the impeachment complaints, stressing that such would amount to another “fishing expedition.”
“Now we are witnessing yet another desperate attempt to search for evidence where none exists,” she said.
On March 4, the Committee found the impeachment complaints against Duterte sufficient in form and substance.
In a statement, Diokno said that he respected Duterte’s opinion about the proceedings, but added that his request was only intended to “preserve the documentary evidence and secure a witness so the committee on justice can fulfill its duty of assessing the evidence.”
“The Vice President has every opportunity to refute the allegations against her by submitting her answer and evidence. Sa huli, ang ebidensya ang magsasabi kung dapat may pananagutan. At ang impeachment proceeding ang tamang lugar para lumabas ang katotohanan (In the end, it is the evidence that will determine whether there is liability. And the impeachment proceeding is the proper venue for the truth to come out),” he said.
On March 5, Diokno wrote to Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville R. Luistro, asking the justice committee which she chairs to issue a subpoena to obtain copies of the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth of Duterte for the years 2007 to 2013, 2016 to 2022, and 2022 to 2025.
Diokno also sought the issuance of a subpoena to secure a certification from the Anti-Money Laundering Council on whether it holds records of covered or suspicious transactions involving bank accounts of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, as well as a report from the National Bureau of Investigation regarding Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Cacho Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Diokno also moved for the transfer of detained witness Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga to the committee on justice from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, “to ensure his safety and availability to testify before the committee at the proper time.”
The new complaints against Duterte were filed after the Supreme Court En Banc denied on January 29, 2026, the motion for reconsideration filed by members of the House of Representatives, which sought the reversal of its July 25, 2025 ruling declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional.
The Court declared the Articles of Impeachment unconstitutional for violating due process and the one-year bar rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
