Says legal team already preparing for Senate trial

“Being abandoned by your boyfriend or girlfriend would hurt more than being impeached by the House of Representatives.”  —Vice President Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte said “resignation” is out of the question as she and her legal team prepare for their defense in the Senate impeachment trial that will likely start in June.

“All I can say at this point is ‘God save the Philippines,’” Duterte said in her opening statement during a press conference held at the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong City.

“We’re not there yet (entertaining possibility of resignation). Those things are still far off… Let the lawyers work. The legal team is still preparing the defense and (deciding) what we will do moving forward,” she added.

If convicted in the Senate trial, Duterte would be barred from running for future public office, something that could be avoided should she step down in advance.

Duterte said a potential 2028 run for president remained firmly on the table.

“We are seriously considering that, but it’s difficult to decide without numbers, so we have to know the surveys and numbers, but that’s still for next year,” she said.

At least 251 out of the 306 members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte on Wednesday, transmitting to the Senate the 44-page fourth complaint which cited a series of grave allegations that include conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., large-scale corruption, abuse of public funds, and involvement in extrajudicial killings.

And while 41 out of 60 lawmakers from Mindanao endorsed the impeachment complaint, Duterte said she had “no feelings” over the matter since she lacked personal ties with most politicians.

“Being abandoned by your boyfriend or girlfriend would hurt more than being impeached by the House of Representatives,” the Vice President said.

“I’m okay,” she added.

Duterte, however, admitted that preparations for her defense have already begun as early as in 2023.

“We’ve already started preparing the moment (ACT Teachers party-list Rep.) France Castro announced the impeachment plan, which was November of 2023,” she said.

Although she did not name who will be part of her defense panel in the upcoming impeachment trial, she acknowledged her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, might join her panel.

“If he wants to, he can be part of the defense team. But because of his age and the rigorous preparation in an impeachment case, I might tell him not to take the lead. He is already 80 years old,” Duterte said.

She recalled that when she informed her father about the impeachment through his assistant, the former President responded by sending her the song “MacArthur’s Park.”

The Vice President again said comments taken from an expletive-filled speech where she claimed herself to be the subject of a plot had been taken out of context.

“I didn’t make an assassination threat to the President. They are the only ones saying that,” Duterte said.

She assured the public the OVP will continue its operations and services despite the impeachment proceeding.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our fellow Filipinos who continue to pray, support, trust, and love me. Have faith because victory belongs to the people,” she said.

As this developed, House leaders on Friday thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for respecting the constitutional mandate of Congress to act on the impeachment complaints against Duterte.

“This isn’t about politics; it’s about upholding our constitutional duty. The Constitution is clear—once a complaint is filed, Congress cannot simply ignore it. We follow the law, not personal agendas,” Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. said.

Deputy Speaker David Suarez noted the impeachment effort was not initiated by administration allies but by groups outside the President’s coalition.

“The President discouraged impeachment because the country has bigger priorities. But three complaints were filed—not by us. The moment they reached Congress, we had no choice but to proceed,” Suarez said.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “VP Sara Duterte on impeachment: Resignation not an option.”