VP Duterte’s optimism puzzles solon: You can’t even explain spent funds (2025)

MANILA, Philippines— Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre is puzzled over Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidence in the face of an impending impeachment trial, because she cannot even explain where chunks of confidential funds (CF) within her offices went.

Acidre in a statement on Tuesday said that Duterte’s confidence may be misplaced because months after the House of Representatives’ committee on good government and public accounts started its investigation on the CFs, the Vice President has not yet given any clear explanation.

Furthermore, the lawmaker reminded Duterte that she cannot claim “vindication” if she has not addressed the issues yet.

“What’s puzzling is the arrogance of certainty coming from the Vice President,” Acidre said. “You cannot claim vindication when you have yet to offer a full and truthful accounting of public funds entrusted to your office.”

“Public officials are stewards of taxpayer money. When questioned, the proper response is transparency, not evasion. It’s not enough to say ‘I did my job.’ She must show us how, when and where those millions were spent,” he added.

Acidre’s remarks came after Duterte, in an ambush interview on Tuesday, said that her lawyers are confident that she will win her impeachment trial before the Senate — and be acquitted of the impeachment charges pressed by the House.

Duterte made the pronouncement when asked about her recent endorsement of senatorial candidates, which led to speculation that it was an attempt to build alliances with possible senator-judges.

According to Duterte, she is confident about the abilities of her lawyers.

“Ang aking impeachment, sinasabi ng mga lawyer, they are more than confident na mananalo sila sa impeachment,” Duterte said in a chance interview in Cebu.

(My impeachment, according to the lawyers, they are more than confident that they will win the case.)

“Ako naman (For me), I am most confident with the lawyers working on my impeachment case,” she added.

READ: Sara Duterte says lawyers confident she’ll win impeachment case

But Acidre said it appears Duterte still treats the issues raised against her as a “political drama.”

“The Vice President continues to treat this as a political drama. But for the people who pay their taxes every day, this is about accountability and trust,” he said.

“If she truly believes in the strength of her case, then she should welcome the trial as an opportunity to lay all her cards on the table. But right now, we’re hearing a lot of posturing and very little substance,” he added.

Dutertewasimpeachedby the House last February 5, after 215 lawmakers filed and verified a fourthimpeachmentcomplaint.The articles ofimpeachmentwere immediately transmitted to the Senate, as the 1987 Constitution requires a trialto start forthwith if at least one-thirds of all House members — in this case, 102 out of 306 —have signed and endorsed the petition.

READ: House impeaches Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate

Under the Constitution, the Senate will act as animpeachmentcourt with sitting senators being judges.

Trial however has yet to start as the articles ofimpeachmentwere not forwarded to the Senate plenary before session ended on February 5 — which means that Congress would have to reconvene first after the election season, or through a special session to discuss the matter.

Duterte’s impeachment was largely brought about by the House committee hearings, where allegations of CF misuse within the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education were revealed.

At one point in the hearings, Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop noticed that one of the acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for the OVP’s CF expenditures was signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos, whom he said bears a name similar to a restaurant and a potato chip brand.

ARs are proof of payment, or that funding for projects reached its intended beneficiaries — and for the case of OVP and DepEd, these are informants who provided confidential information to authorities.

Later on, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs — one for OVP and another for DepEd — which were both received by Villamin.However, the signatures and handwriting used by theVillamin in the two documentsdiffered.

Both Piattos and Villamin’s names did not appear on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) database.

READ: House probe: OVP, DepEd CFs received by same man, different signatures

Acidre said that while Duterte has the right to defend herself, the burden to disprove the findings of the House committee now rests on her.

“The impeachment complaint did not materialize in a vacuum. It came after exhaustive hearings, testimonies and evidence pointing to clear irregularities,” Acidre said.

“This is not a popularity contest: it is a constitutional process grounded in facts,” he added. “Hindi sapat ang tapang sa salita. Ang kailangan ng taong-bayan ay tapang na magsabi ng totoo at magpaliwanag. Hindi nga niya maipaliwanag nang maayos kung saan napunta ang pondo.”

(Being courageous in words is not enough. What the people need is the bravery to say the truth and explain issues. But she cannot even properly explain where the funds went.)