Former Speaker and Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez stated on Wednesday that considering an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte would be political suicide for the House of Representatives, as it would not benefit the Filipino people. He also suggested that political motivations are fueling the rumors about impeachment efforts against Duterte.
He stated, “The rumors about the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte are alarming not only for the political climate but also for our democracy. This effort appears driven more by trivial political ambitions than by genuine concerns about governance. It seems like a tactic to remove a political rival rather than to address the needs of the Filipino people.”
He further noted, “Vice President Duterte’s significant electoral win in 2022, with 32 million votes—surpassing even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vote count—demonstrates the strong trust Filipinos have in her leadership. Attempting to challenge this mandate through impeachment on flimsy political grounds is a blatant disregard for the people’s sovereign will.”
Alvarez warned that Congress would be “reckless” if it pursued impeachment against an official who received the highest number of votes in any election in the country.
He also pointed out that Duterte currently holds higher net trust, approval, and satisfaction ratings compared to other government officials.
"Senator Imee Marcos recently raised a pointed question about those advocating for Vice President Duterte's impeachment, asking, ‘Are they seeking trouble?’ Her concern extends beyond Vice President Duterte to include her younger brother as well,” he added.
Duterte has repeatedly asserted that the House is openly discussing an impeachment complaint and has mentioned that a friend possesses a recording of lawmakers discussing the matter.
However, several House leaders have insisted that they are not engaging in discussions about an impeachment complaint against her.
Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega V urged the Vice President to identify those responsible so that they can verify whether they are indeed close to the source of the information.
During the discussions on the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) proposed 2025 budget on August 27, Duterte noted that rumors of an impeachment complaint against her were not new. She claimed that a lawmaker had referenced this in a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.
While Duterte did not specify the lawmaker, the comments were from an August 26, 2023 article in the Inquirer, where ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro mentioned that they were considering filing an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
Alvarez argued that instead of focusing on impeachment complaints, the government should address the pressing issues that affect Filipinos daily.
“Nearly three years into the Marcos administration, the most urgent problems—such as rising costs of goods and services, job shortages, low wages, widespread poverty, and hunger—remain largely unaddressed,” he said.
“These are the real concerns that need attention, not political squabbles or attempts to silence perceived threats to the administration’s long-term goals. Rather than actively tackling these critical issues, it seems the current administration's leaders prefer to distract the public with political maneuvers—showing their inability or unwillingness to offer genuine solutions,” he added.
Duterte is currently under scrutiny following revelations during budget hearings at the House regarding issues with the OVP’s confidential funds for 2022 and 2023, and irregularities in the Department of Education's project delivery during her tenure as Education Secretary.
On Tuesday, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe indicated that Duterte might face graft charges if she cannot account for the expenditure of these funds, especially those with adverse findings from the Commission on Audit (COA).
The COA issued a notice of disallowance for PHP 73.2 million of the OVP’s PHP 125 million confidential funds for 2022—an allocation several lawmakers argue should not have existed, as the original budget under former Vice President Leni Robredo did not include such funds.
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