Vice President Sara Duterte said she welcomes the impeachment complaints which have “finally” been filed against her, so she may rebuff the accusations without dragging staff in probes.
“I welcome, that finally, na-file na ‘yung impeachment case na sinasabi nilang i-file nila since last year pa,” she said in an interview, in response to the two impeachment cases lodged in the House of Representatives.
(I welcome that finally, they have filed the impeachment case they said they had meant to file since last year.)
“Okay din ‘yung impeachment case dahil ako lang ang tinitira doon. Ako lang ang iniimbestigahan non. Ako lang ang inaatake ng impeachment case. Hindi na kasali ‘yung mga kasamahan ko sa Office of the Vice President (OVP) and ‘yung mga dati kong kasama sa Department of Education (DepEd). Masagot na ng final, kung ano ‘yung inaakusa nila sa akin,” she added.
(The impeachment case is okay because I’m the only one to be targeted there. I’m the only one being investigated. I’m the only one being attacked in the impeachment case. My colleagues from the Office of the Vice President and those I worked with at the Department of Education will no longer have to be part. I will get to give a final response to accusations against me.)
The Vice President said she understands the Iglesia ni Cristo church’s stance in resisting the impeachment cases in the name of peace. Duterte said the church knows that with peace comes progress for the country.
In addition, she will not be attending the rescheduled hearing with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday, she revealed, explaining her Office will hold thanksgiving activities then. Afterwards, she is set on flying home to Davao City to bury her uncle. Duterte was purportedly told by her lawyers that she did not need to appear, and could send an affidavit instead.
Among the grounds for Duterte’s impeachment is the alleged misuse of the OVP’s and DepEd’s confidential funds and the threat she had made against the lives of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, should a plot to kill her succeed.
The Malacañang has distanced itself from the cases, declaring it has “nothing to do” with them.
