Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday accused members of the House of Representatives of conducting a “fishing expedition” in their effort to bolster impeachment complaints against her, saying the move highlighted the lack of solid evidence.
“This only reinforces what I have been saying all along. There is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case against me,” Duterte said.
She criticized Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno’s request for the House Committee on Justice to take custody of her alleged “bagman,” Ramil Madriaga, and subpoena documents he claimed could support the case.
Duterte argued such actions undermined the panel’s earlier finding that the complaints were sufficient in form and substance.
“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 added.
Duterte recalled two earlier attempts to target her—the 2024 budget hearing and the hearings of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability—labeling the latest move as “another desperate attempt to search for evidence where none exists.”
She further claimed the impeachment complaints were politically motivated, designed to protect certain individuals and advance personal and foreign interests. Duterte also criticized the proposal to place Madriaga under House custody, noting he was detained over kidnapping allegations.
“The request that he be given special treatment in the House of Representatives is a grave insult to the minor victim who was traumatized by his criminal acts,” she said.
Duterte accused lawmakers and the Marcos administration of prioritizing political battles while global crises threaten Filipinos, particularly overseas workers and low-income families.
“Meanwhile, communities around the world are scrambling to protect their citizens and find solutions to shocks in the energy and commodities sectors. 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.
“This is another insult. This time, it is directed at our OFWs, the poor, and the many Filipino families who may soon be pushed deeper into hardship as a result of war and its global consequences,” Duterte added.