Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte has criticized the members of the House of Representatives (HoR) for impeaching his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, calling it a “desperate and politically motivated” move.
Duterte said, “I am appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.”
On Wednesday, February 5, the HoR approved the impeachment complaints after 215 lawmakers signed them, exceeding the required 102 votes to send the complaints to the Senate for trial, where they will hear whether to remove Duterte from public office.
After the House’s decision, the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau (PRIB) received instructions to prepare for the possible transmittal of the complaint at 7 PM tonight.
However, Senate President Francis Escudero dismissed claims that the Senate was preparing to receive the impeachment complaints.
“The Senate cannot and will not assume anything until and unless it is a fact,” he said.
Accusations
Paolo Duterte accused house members of orchestrating a rushed impeachment process.
“The sinister maneuvering of certain lawmakers, led by Rep. Garin, to hastily collect signatures and push for the immediate approval and transmittal of this baseless impeachment case is a clear act of political persecution,” he said.
Duterte warned the administration about the consequences of its actions.
“If they were unfazed by the over one million rallying supporters of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, then they are blindly marching toward an even greater storm—one that could shake the very foundation of their rule,” he said.
Duterte referred to the “National Rally for Peace” organized by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) on January 13, which widely showed support for Vice President Duterte.
While INC leaders denied any political motives, the event highlighted the growing political divide between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Duterte.
The INC had endorsed the Marcos-Duterte “Uniteam” in the 2022 elections, but tensions have escalated between the two camps.
“Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor,” Duterte said.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a personal blog on Medium.