Vice President Sara Duterte. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday kept her response to her impeachment at the House of Representatives simple, leaving it to a higher being to 鈥渟ave the Philippines.鈥�
鈥淪a kabila ng aking mga pahayag, ukol sa planong impeachment sa mga nakaraan na buwan, ang tanging masasabi ko na lamang sa puntong ito ay God save the Philippines,鈥� said Duterte in a press conference.
(Despite my statements regarding the impeachment plan in the past months, all I can say at this point is God save the Philippines.)
Duterte also said she was 鈥渙kay鈥� amid her impeachment.
According to Duterte, her lawyers have begun preparing for the impeachment complaints against her as early as November 2023, with a legal briefing set to be held on Friday afternoon.
鈥淎lam ko 鈥榶ung penalties ng impeachment, and the moment na nag-resign ako, before nag-resign sa Department of Education, pinag-isipan ko na lahat 鈥榶an,鈥� she added.
(I know the penalties of impeachment, and the moment I resigned, before resigning from the Department of Education, I thought about all of that.)
The Vice President thanked her supporters.
鈥淢analig kayo, dahil sa taong bayan ang tagumpay,鈥� she said.
(Have faith, because victory belongs to the people.)
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives impeached聽Duterte, with 215 House members voting in favor of her removal from office. The Articles of Impeachment was sent to the Senate for trial on Wednesday afternoon.
If convicted by the Senate, Duterte would be permanently barred from public office, including the presidency in the 2028 presidential elections.