MANILA — Just days before the Senate impeachment court is set to open trial proceedings on July 6, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has again moved to have the impeachment case against her thrown out, arguing that the Articles of Impeachment are constitutionally defective and the House of Representatives acted with bias, bad faith, and grave procedural violations throughout the process.
In her formal response released by the Senate, Duterte-Carpio urged the impeachment court to declare the Articles of Impeachment void, insisting that the proceedings in the House were “tainted with manifest partiality and evident bad faith indicative of prejudgment.”
She argued that statements made by members of the House claiming there were already enough votes to impeach her, despite pending proceedings, showed that the finding of probable cause had already been predetermined.
The House Committee on Justice earlier found sufficient grounds to elevate the impeachment complaint to the plenary, and the House approved the Articles of Impeachment on May 11. The case has since been transmitted to the Senate, which is scheduled to begin the impeachment trial on July 6.
Duterte-Carpio maintained that the Articles of Impeachment were a “product of unconstitutional usurpation of power,” arguing that the House proceedings were merely a “procedural artifice” intended to damage her reputation before the public.
She also questioned the inclusion of allegations related to acts she allegedly committed while serving as Davao City mayor and vice mayor, saying those positions are not impeachable offices and therefore cannot be used as the basis for impeachment.
The Vice President further claimed that evidence presented during the House proceedings violated her constitutional right to due process because much of it came from the Saballa and Cabrera complaints, which she said were introduced only after she had already submitted her answer.
According to Duterte-Carpio, this deprived her of the opportunity to respond to the allegations.
She also argued that the referral of the Articles of Impeachment was procedurally defective because no plenary deliberations were held on Feb. 23, 2026.
Duterte-Carpio likewise reiterated her earlier claim that the complaints stemmed from a “fishing expedition.”
“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,” her response stated.
She also invoked the one-year bar rule, arguing that the Saballa and Cabrera complaints violated the constitutional prohibition against initiating more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a one-year period.
“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.
“The Articles do not contain any sufficient factual and legal bases to sustain any impeachable offense,” she added.
The Articles of Impeachment accuse Duterte-Carpio of alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, alleged bribery involving Department of Education officials, and an alleged plot to assassinate President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and a former House Speaker.
The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to commence trial proceedings on July 6./PN
