MANILA — The legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday brushed aside newly filed impeachment complaints, saying the accusations are unsupported by facts and law and will not stand under constitutional scrutiny.
In a statement, lawyer Michael Poa, who serves as spokesperson for Duterte-Carpio’s defense, said the latest moves against the Vice President were expected and insisted that impeachment must be grounded on evidence and due process, not political pressure.
Poa cited a Supreme Court ruling, stressing that impeachment “is not merely a political process initiated by mere allegations or by perceived public acclaim shaped by the propagandistic effect of timed press releases or irresponsible viral posts on social media.”
He said the defense is ready to address the claims through proper legal channels.
“We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis,” Poa said.
Earlier on Monday, two new impeachment complaints were submitted to the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives.
One was filed by members of the Makabayan Coalition and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc in the House. The other complaint came from Tindig Pilipinas and was backed by ML Party-list Representative Leila de Lima and Akbayan Representative Percy Cendaña.
Duterte-Carpio previously said her legal team had already been making preparations for another possible impeachment case, even after the Supreme Court junked a previous attempt.
“Hanggang ngayon, tuloy-tuloy pa naman ‘yung mga abogado and legal team. And nung nakaraang taon, bago mag-Christmas break, ay napag-usapan din namin ‘yung paghahanda sa impeachment,” Duterte said during an interview in The Hague on January 29.
Last week, the Supreme Court said it had “denied with finality” the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives that sought to overturn the ruling which voided the impeachment articles against Duterte-Carpio.
The high court reiterated that the fourth impeachment complaint sent to the Senate on February 5, 2025, was already prohibited under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution, which bars more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a one-year period./PN
