DABAWENYO House representatives Paolo "Pulong" Duterte and Isidro "Sid" Ungab slammed the House of Representatives impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement, Duterte, the First District representative, who is the vice president's brother, accused lawmakers—led by Rep. Janette Garin—of rushing the impeachment process. He called the move a "baseless impeachment case" and labeled it a "clear act of political persecution."
"This reckless action risks fueling public discontent," Paolo warned, noting that the administration is "treading on dangerous ground" and that the outcome "will not end in their favor." He added, "The Filipino people will not stand by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition with fabricated accusations."
Paolo, the son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, also declared, "If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken."
Meanwhile, Third District Representative Isidro Ungab criticized the impeachment push, calling it a "diversion" from the controversy surrounding the "blank" report of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
"The impeachment moves in the lower House is a futile exercise," Ungab said. "Congress will be on recess starting tomorrow. This is a diversion from the real issue which is the anomalous budget process as shown by the 28 blank items in the bicam report."
Ungab, along with former executive secretary and senatorial aspirant Vic Rodriguez and several others, filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to declare the 2025 GAA, which includes a proposed P6.325-trillion budget, unconstitutional.
Sara’s brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, also took to Facebook to criticize House Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
"Cornered animals become aggressive," the mayor wrote, directing the comment at Romualdez and Marcos.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, in an interview with reporters on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, confirmed that the House of Representatives has gathered enough support to begin impeachment proceedings against the vice president. Velasco said that 153 members of the lower chamber have signed on to fast-track the impeachment process, representing more than one-third of the House, which triggers a Senate trial under the Constitution.
During the plenary session on Wednesday afternoon, 215 members of the House of Representatives endorsed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. The House Secretary-General has been instructed to forward the complaint to the Senate for further action.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has previously voiced his opposition to any impeachment efforts against Vice President Duterte, who was once his ally in the UniTeam coalition. RGL WITH REPORTS FROM SNS
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