VP lawyers ‘more than confident’ of her acquittal

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April 23, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — With her lawyers “more than confident” of her acquittal in an impeachment trial, Vice President Sara Duterte scoffed at suggestions by some lawmakers that her endorsement of 12 senatorial candidates was a move to secure votes against her conviction.

In a chance interview with reporters in Danao City, Cebu yesterday, the Vice President said she recently had a meeting with the members of her legal team handling her impeachment case and they told her that they are confident of the strength of their defense.

“I can’t tell you the preparations of my lawyers for the impeachment. But after I arrived from The Hague, we had a meeting. And they told me that they are ‘more than confident’ in winning the impeachment trial, the impeachment case,” Duterte said.

“As for me, I am most confident with the lawyers working on my impeachment case,” she added.

Duterte was reacting to a statement of La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V that her endorsement of senatorial candidates was most probably a political move to influence those who would likely win in the upcoming May 12 senatorial elections to vote for her acquittal.

The trial of Duterte’s impeachment case is set to start in mid-July after President Marcos’ fourth State of the Nation Address. By that time, the membership of the Senate, which will hear the case as an impeachment court, will include those who would win in the upcoming midterm elections.

On Monday, Duterte formally endorsed 10 senatorial candidates, dubbed as the #Duter10, running under her father’s political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) plus two guest candidates – Sen. Imee Marcos and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar.

While admitting that she originally did not plan to endorse senatorial candidates, the Vice President said her decision was fueled by recent events, particularly the arrest and turnover of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

“What triggered me to come out was what they did to president Duterte. The injustice that they did to him. They took him from the Philippines, they forcibly boarded him on a plane without permits, bringing him to The Hague, detaining him under foreign (authorities),” Duterte said in Filipino.

The Vice President added that during her visits to her father in The Hague, the latter asked her to support the PDP’s senatorial slate.

“He told me that since he could no longer campaign, can I be the one to campaign for the senatorial candidates  and I said yes,” the Vice President said.

Furthermore, the Vice President said she believed that the 12 senators she is now endorsing will continue the “vision” of her father’s administration – which is a “peaceful and prosperous Philippines.”

“That’s why we will go around to help the people understand the importance of voting straight for these candidates. The importance of voting for them is to continue what president Duterte had started,” the Vice President said.

“Because if you would remember, in 2022, we ran under the platform of unity and continuity. But as you can see, there’s no continuity happening. But these senators understand the vision –  a peaceful and prosperous Philippines which, unfortunately, we do not see under the current (administration),” she added in Filipino.

The Duterte family and their supporters have been blaming Marcos for the arrest and flight to The Hague of the former president, who is awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs.

The Vice President also said she was pleasantly surprised by the recent Pulse Asia survey showing a marked improvement in her approval and trust ratings.

“I was surprised because amid all the criticisms from politicians, in social media, from all sides, the (survey) numbers were surprisingly increasing,” Duterte said.

For House Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, Duterte’s “self-assuring” remarks on her potential acquittal smack of arrogance.

“What’s puzzling is the arrogance of certainty coming from the Vice President,” Acidre said in a statement.

“You cannot claim vindication when you have yet to offer a full and truthful accounting of public funds entrusted to your office,” he added.

Acidre emphasized that Duterte’s repeated use of vague defenses, such as invoking national security, only deepens public suspicion rather than clearing her name.

“Public officials are stewards of taxpayer money. When questioned, the proper response is transparency, not evasion. It’s not enough to say ‘I did my job.’ She must show us how, when and where those millions were spent,” he said.

Acidre said Duterte’s optimism about her fate in the Senate may be premature, given the gravity of the accusations.

“If she truly believes in the strength of her case, then she should welcome the trial as an opportunity to lay all her cards on the table. But right now, we’re hearing a lot of posturing and very little substance,” he said. — Jose Rodel Clapano