MANILA – Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio is bracing for what she calls “another opportunity to answer” as she anticipates fresh impeachment attempts in the years ahead — possibly starting in 2026 — despite the collapse of the case against her this year.
“And of course, as I said, kinahanglan pangandaman ang tanan nga posibleng mahitabo so possibly wala ta kahibalo 2026, 2027, 2028 naa’y mga mag-file na pud og impeachment and that will be another opportunity to answer,” Duterte-Carpio told reporters in Davao City.
The warning comes just weeks after the Supreme Court declared the House of Representatives’ impeachment complaint against her unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule. The Senate later archived the case — a move that, according to Duterte-Carpio, deprived her of the political showdown she had been waiting for.
“As I said I wanted a bloodbath. Meaning, I wanted all the pieces of evidence from the prosecution and all the pieces of evidences from the defense presented for everyone but unfortunately, wala na siya sa pagkakaron,” she said.
The Vice President said she respects the Senate’s decision to shelve the case, emphasizing that her legal team had prepared for all possible scenarios.
“As I said, we need to respect the decision of the Senate,” she added.
On February 5, the House impeached Duterte-Carpio with the backing of over 200 lawmakers. She was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
In her formal reply, Duterte-Carpio entered a “not guilty” plea to the verified impeachment complaint, dismissing it as nothing more than a “scrap of paper.”/PN
