MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio said a lawmaker’s reported request to subpoena additional records related to impeachment complaints against her underscores what she described as the lack of evidence to support the case, arguing that investigators should not be “searching” for proof after the complaints have already been filed.
In a statement, Duterte-Carpio reacted to media reports about a letter from Cong. Chel Diokno filed before the House Committee on Justice seeking the issuance of subpoenas to obtain more documents tied to the impeachment complaints.
“This only reinforces what I have been saying all along. There is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case against me,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement sent to Panay News.
Duterte-Carpio argued that the committee’s finding of “sufficiency in substance” should mean that the accusations in the complaints are already supported by evidence.
“The Committee cannot conduct an investigation to search for evidence to support accusations already made in the impeachment complaints. Doing so would amount to a third ‘fishing expedition’ by the House of Representatives,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio said previous congressional proceedings had already attempted to find proof against her, citing the 2024 budget hearings and inquiries by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
The Vice President maintained that the impeachment complaints were politically motivated.
“Let me say this again for the nth time: The impeachment is a political attack designed to protect certain individuals and advance personal and foreign interests,” she said.
Duterte-Carpio also criticized what she described as the treatment being extended by lawmakers to an alleged kidnapping suspect Ramil Madriaga, saying granting him special treatment in Congress would be an “insult” to the minor victim involved in the case.
She further accused political leaders of focusing on efforts to target her instead of addressing economic challenges and global developments that could affect Filipino families.
“Yet the Philippine House of Representatives and the Office of the President remain preoccupied with a political nemesis who refuses to kowtow to their corrupt ways,” she said.
The vice president also warned that Filipinos, including overseas Filipino workers and low-income families, could face worsening economic conditions due to global conflicts and disruptions in energy and commodity markets.
“God save the Philippines. Please,” Duterte-Carpio said.
Several impeachment complaints have been filed against Duterte-Carpio before the House of Representatives, which were recently ruled sufficient in form and substance by the House Committee on Justice./PN
