Citing the rising cost of living, Vice President Sara Duterte discouraged her supporters from staging rallies despite the impeachment effort launched against her in the House of Representatives.
Duterte acknowledged on Friday that a large portion of her supporters are breadwinners with loved ones depending on them for financial support.
She then encouraged the public to put their jobs and businesses first rather than participating in rallies.
"Sa panahon ngayon na sobrang mahal ng presyo ng mga bilihin, lalong-lalo na ng pagkain. Sasabihin ko sa mga supporters, sa taumbayan na unahin muna nila ang trabaho and negosyo nila kaysa sa mag-rally sila sa mga daan," said Duterte.
"Dahil marami o lahat tayo breadwinners. So, mayroong mga bata o kapmilya na nagdedepende sa atin," she added.
Acknowledging the Philippines as the "social media capital of the world," Duterte suggested that supporters use online platforms to express their backing instead of taking to the streets. In this manner, workers can continue their jobs while still being able to voice their opinions and concerns.
With 215 lawmakers backing the move, the House of Representatives approved Duterte’s impeachment on Wednesday.
The Senate is set to conduct a trial to determine Duterte’s removal from office, but the impeachment trial will only start once sessions resume in June.
Duterte faces impeachment on multiple grounds, including betrayal of public trust, graft, corruption, and constitutional violations, particularly over the alleged misuse of confidential funds from the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under her leadership.
